Tom’s Book of 2016

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2016: Page 63

I woke up this morning to find snow all over today’s page so it was in to work by six to get both inside and outside work done to start the day.  The snow kept coming all day long but the temperature was just warm enough that the sidewalks stayed snow-free once I cleared them.  As night fell and the temperature started to fall, the snow kept coming and began to accumulate again so I need to plan on being to work early again tomorrow.  The nice thing about starting work early is getting done with work early.  Today was one of those days, so even with the snow still falling I left work at 3 and headed down to Potato Creek again to spend some time with God in the quietness of nature.

Before I got there, I spent part of the work day writing another week’s devotions for the current series I am working on.  The topic I worked on today was “Serving With Strength”.  While each day will look at a different aspect of the strength we serve with, the week ties together the idea that to be effective we must serve through God’s strength and not our own.  As I worked on this writing project, a cardinal began singing loudly outside my office window.  Perched on snow-clad branches, it looked as beautiful as it sounded.  

When I finally arrived at Potato Creek, everything was covered by a blanket of fresh snow.  With the snow still falling, I tucked a camera under my jacket and another one under my arm and took off for a hike through the snow.  While the eagles were keeping out of sight, the beauty of the park kept me busy snapping photos throughout my hike.  As I returned to my truck, I passed through a picnic and playground area.  I thought about, and  prayed for, the families who would spend time picnicking under these trees and playing at the playground as winter turned to spring and spring to summer.  Some of my favorite memories are of family times spent at state parks in a variety of locations.  Growing up on the farm we worked hard but I still clearly remember times when mom and dad would take the family to a park where we would have a picnic, play, and hike together as a family.  My family and I had dinner with my parents tonight and I was reminded of a couple specific trips and could picture the settings in my mind as clearly as if we had all gone yesterday.

Unfortunately, I’ve also been at playgrounds and parks when what I observe is anything but peaceful.  God’s desire is that we live in peace and harmony with one another — and with Him.  In spite of the best designed and most peaceful settings available, our peace with one another, and with God, can only be found through a relationship with His Son, Jesus.  I pray that you and I would seek peace with God and through Him, with one another.  I pray that we would pay attention to the beauty that God has created and make the most of the opportunities we have to enjoy it in times of rest and reflection.  I pray that we would find ways to grow together as strong families — both within our physical families and the family of God that Christ has adopted us into.

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2016: Page 62

Page 61 ended with my arrival home to a wintry mix of snow and ice which meant that my plans to begin page 62 later than usual was not going to happen.  The roads were a mess in the early morning hours today as I headed to work but the sky was clear and the moon was shining brightly.  I took care of the things that needed done inside the building first, then after taking out the trash I fired up the snowblower to clear the walks and make sure all the entry/exit ways were clear.  Once the building was ready for the day inside and out, I headed out for a coffee and donut meeting — I know, tough job but someone has to do it. :).  

After my meeting, I returned to work and tackled my Monday morning routine by spending time with God and getting the prayer guide written for next week.  While two days later than when I like to do it, I still got it to the church office in plenty of time to be printed for next week’s bulletin — I don’t want to get on the bad side of the nice lady in the office. 🙂  As I worked, the treetops glistened in the morning sun as if they all had fiber optic tips installed overnight.  I took some photographs of them that at least give an idea of what it looked like although none of the pictures really do justice to the actual beauty.  As the sun warmed things up a little bit, I eventually saw a few cardinals and robins out playing and collecting food.  As I watched them for a moment, I noticed a couple deer deeper into the woods that lying on the ground enjoying the sun as well.  Eventually I finished the days work and headed down to Potato Creek State Park for a short hike and to take some photos before heading home for supper.  At the park I was able to capture some pics of an eagle and enjoy the beautiful scene of the sun sparkling across the water.

Between the icy tree tops and the reflection of the sun on the lake, I thought about Paul’s words to the Philippians about how when we do everything without complaining or arguing we are able to “shine like stars in the universe”.  Light gets my attention.  Whether the light of the moon and stars on a clear dark night, the glistening of the sun through ice covered tree tops, or the sparkling reflection of the sun dancing on the surface of a lake, I see it and am almost compelled to look at it more closely.  That is the kind of light we ought to be reflecting to the world when we are in Christ.  The way we interact with each other and with the people of the world ought to shine and sparkle in such a way that everyone wants a closer look at where the light is coming from.  We must be careful to always reflect the true light so that people don’t begin to believe that we are the light.  As Paul writes about our ability to shine like stars in the universe, he says we do so in the midst of a “crooked and depraved generation”.  While it is easy to complain about the darkness of our times, it is in the darkness that the light we shine forth can shine most brightly.

Pray that you and I would be mindful of the light, or lack of light, that we display to the people around us.  Pray that we would learn to live without arguing or complaining so that the light of Jesus we reflect could be seen more clearly.  Pray that we would live with the humility that always desires for Christ to be seen rather than us.

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2016: Page 61

On the road again . . . Today’s page covered a lot of ground while ending up at the same location I started.  🙂  I had the opportunity today to have an Impact Prayer Ministry display at a 5-state regional camp conference in central Indiana.  I left the house around 7:30 this morning and just got back home a little after 9 this evening.  While it was a long day, it was also a good day as I was able to put prayer-based resources into the hands of many camp leaders and have some great conversations about the importance of pursuing God through prayer and His Word.

About mid-morning during my trip, the rain began and continued through much of the day.  It made unloading my display material rather interesting but I managed to get the display set up and keep everything dry.  By the time the vendor fair at the conference was over, the rain was no longer falling as heavy as it had been so I made a short side-trip to Cataract Falls on my way home.  This is billed as the largest waterfall in Indiana and it would have been difficult for me to be that close to it without stopping to take some photographs.  There is a beautiful covered bridge over the river at the head of the falls that adds to the photo opportunities.  While the bridge has had restoration work over the years and is now open only to foot traffic, the current bridge was put into service in 1876!  

As I thought about the day, my mind focused on the enduring nature of God and His overwhelming love.  Whenever I have the opportunity to share with people about the work God is doing in Impact Prayer Ministry, it is a reminder to me of how God will multiply what He gives us when we are willing to use it and share it with the people He wants us to equip and encourage.  Far too often we grasp what we have because it seems so small to us and we’re afraid it isn’t enough for us, let alone enough to share.  Our selfishness not only hurts us, it hurts those that God has desired for us to help.  My experience with the prayer ministry has shown that God’s ability is much like the waterfall I visited today.  As I watched the water cascading over the rocks, it just kept coming with as much force and volume when I left as it had when I arrived.  When I think about God supplying our need according to His riches in glory, I don’t picture a limit to what He has or what He is able to provide.  The only limit I find seems to revolve around how I define and live out the concept of need not only in my life, but more so in the lives of the people I ought to be serving.

As I walked the length of a bridge that has stood since 1876 and read the plaque with its history, it reminded me of the importance of maintenance and restoration.  The bridge has required both to keep it safe, usable, and looking nice.  Our relationship with God requires both as well if we want a spiritual life that is safe, usable, and looks nice.  My work at the conference was all about putting prayer-based resources into the hands of people so they have some tools to help restore and maintain their relationship with God.  Even with that, the tools I have are secondary at best.  They are designed to help people use the primary tools of prayer and God’s Word as the best resources in restoring and maintaining their relationship with God.

I pray that you and I would desire for our relationship with God to grow and be more vibrant each day.  I pray that we would learn to share the things that God gives us — and realize that every good thing we have has been given to us by God.  I pray that even as God has made it possible through Jesus for us to be restored to Himself, that we would be faithful in sharing that restoration with others.

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2016: Page 60

Many would say that since today was “leap day”, it was an extra day in the book of their life.  While that may be true according to the calendars of our making, perhaps we would look at the story of our life differently if we saw each day as an “extra” day!  Would my life be lived any differently if I woke up tomorrow and viewed it as another “bonus day” from God?  Many people talk a lot about not being guaranteed tomorrow, but how many of us actually live like we would if we knew with certainty that this was our last day on this planet?  

I’m a person of routine — not necessarily by choice, but more so by brain wiring.  I have a daughter whose life greatly amplifies a demand for routine that helps me to see more clearly some of my tendencies.  It is difficult when things come up that demand flexibility in plans and schedule.  Surprises are not joyous things but rather they are occasions for great inner turmoil and conflict.  Yet in the midst of such a life, God continually calls me, and teaches me, to trust Him with the unknown.  Today was a day that quietly required flexibility, but did so in a way that I really didn’t notice until I sat down to type this page.  My normal Monday morning routine didn’t take place!  I did the usual morning cleaning and building prep, but was needed for such a variety of different things throughout the day that I just realized I didn’t put together the prayer guide for next week which is a normal Monday morning task.  I worked on internet networking issues, heating system concerns, web site updates, and domain name renewals during the morning.  By afternoon, I began to put together some last minute material for the camp conference I head to tomorrow.  As I printed, folded, and stapled 200 booklets to give out tomorrow, it felt like I was preparing to dean a week of camp with the usual last minute camper booklet preparation.  Instead, I was preparing daily devotional booklets to put into the hands of camp leaders and I was reminded why I have most of my material professionally printed. 🙂

Once the booklets were finished, I took a break to go home for supper before returning to the building to clean for tomorrow, pack the truck for the trip, and write today’s page.  As I reflected on the day in light of the unsettledness of the past few days, I thought about a squirrel that visited me today.  It was somewhat breezy and he had found a secure spot in the fork of a tree where it appeared he just held on and enjoyed the early afternoon sun.  Sometimes when life appears to get crazy and the winds of adversity howl about us, we need to find a secure spot through our relationship with Jesus and just hold on and enjoy the early afternoon Son.  While I am easily bothered by having my routine messed up and by things not going as I planned, I can be confident that God is not caught off guard and never says, “I never saw that coming!”  The secret for me is to diligently seek the face of God through prayer and His Word so that my plans melt away as they are entirely replaced by His plans in and for my life.  No, my day didn’t go as I had planned or anticipated but at least for today, I am okay with that!

I pray that you and I value each day of life God gives us on this earth and that we would make the most of every opportunity to represent Jesus.  I pray that we would continually surrender our will and plans to the perfect will and plans of God.

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2016: Page 59

Every once in a while there is a page or two of my life that just doesn’t feel right.  But you know that, right?  You’ve experienced those times when an uneasy spirit or restless feeling kept you on edge throughout the day and even awake at night when you really needed to sleep.  At least it is easier for me to believe that others experience these things and I’m not alone.  Some time ago I had a series of events in a short period of time that triggered what my doctor diagnosed as PTSD symptoms.  I’m not sure why yet, but the last few nights have seen a return of some of those symptoms with some mild versions of the panic/anxiety attacks that accompanied them.  For me, one of the most helpful things during such times is to recognize and admit to myself what is going on.  This helps me to spend time with God examining various things that may be the cause of the trauma or stress in my brain.  

When cloudy days come, we have a choice to make regarding how we view them and what our reaction to them will be.  The best choice is to continue a pursuit of God that gives Him praise and worship in all circumstances.  Even with a restless night that didn’t include the sleep I would have liked, it was good to gather at Deer Run with fellow believers for Bible study and worship.  The message shared this morning was focused on being like Jesus by serving.  Not only was the content and presentation encouraging, but especially so for me as it served to confirm the need for the current devotional booklets I am writing under the series title, “Devotions for Those Who Serve”.  

By early afternoon the temperature had climbed into the low 60’s with plenty of sunshine so we headed down to Potato Creek State Park for a family walk.  As we drove toward the park, the cloud cover began to build so that by the time we arrived the weather could best be described as warm, windy, and overcast.  After a hike of about a mile and a half, we looked to see if the bald eagles were nearby before we left the park.  Not seeing any, we began to head for home only to find a tree had blown down across the roadway completely blocking our exit.  I searched through the truck and all I could find of potential use was a lightweight tie-down strap.  After two attempts to pull the tree to the side of the road ended with the strap breaking and the tree not moving, it became apparent that we were going to need help.  A call to the phone number for the park got me the front gate where the lady answering said she would send someone right away.  Sure enough, first one and then a second DNR employee showed up with handsaws and a tow rope!  🙂  With a little bit of trimming, the tree was pulled to the side of the road but not before a bald eagle did a low flyover!  It was a beauty and happened so quickly that there wasn’t a chance to get a camera out.  Once we were free, we drove through the park to see if we could catch another glimpse of the eagles.  We saw one gliding in the distance and were almost to the park exit when we noticed one closing in on us.  I stopped the truck in where we were and first one, then a second eagles came flying right over our position.  With the overcast sky the lighting wasn’t the best, but I did manage to snap a few photos of them as they went by.

As I thought about the day as a whole, God reminded me of the beauty that comes from Him even in the midst of cloudy days . . . and cloudy minds.  While the cloudy day doesn’t look much like a sunny day and the beauty of each is often quite different, it is God’s presence in each that makes them beautiful.  

I pray that you and I would always turn to God in good times and bad, in times of comfort and in times of conflict, in times of sun and in times of cloud.  I pray that we would recognize that there are times when God calls for us to wait so that we can receive something better from Him than what we are ready for in the moment.  I pray that our worship of God is lived out loud with great consistency in a way that lifts up Jesus to all people who cross our path.

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2016: Page 58

Earthdate: 20160227 — These are the ramblings of one traveler’s journey on earth as he makes his way toward a heavenly home.

When I began this page-a-day writing adventure, I had not planned on it including a photo each day.  Yet as the days go by, it seems that there is always a photo of mine that captures at least part of the lesson God was teaching me that day.  Page 58 was a day to sleep in and simply enjoy a family day with no plans or intent to go in to work for any reason.  It didn’t take long for frustration to start to build as people decided that it was somehow okay to park on my snow-covered lawn just because the neighbor was having an estate sale.  With the soft ground underneath the snow, it wasn’t long before tires were spinning and snow, grass, dirt, and gravel were flying.  My solution was to collect an assortment of traffic cones and sawhorses to set along my property line as cars would leave so others couldn’t simply come and take their place.  Most people then seemed to understand that my property wasn’t meant for parking, although one person did back over one of the sawhorses trying.

After a trip to the China Buffet for lunch with my family, I knew I needed away from the visual reminder of the inconsiderate nature of people.  So, a trip to the park with the family seemed like the perfect “reset button” for the day.  The park choice for today was the Bonneyville Mill County Park near Bristol, Indiana where an operating mill from the mid-1800’s stands in the midst of a beautiful country setting.  While the mill itself is only open and operating during the summer months, the snow-covered ground and waterways which power the mill provided a peaceful setting for some photographs and a relaxing walk.  The sun was shining brightly, the sky was a brilliant blue with an occasional high-level cloud, and the still water in the mill ponds were great reflecting pools.  It was as if every variable lined up perfectly for some great photos and a relaxing time in the midst of a peaceful setting.  

The photo that I’ve included with this page is a reminder to me of the peace and beauty that God wants each of us to experience as we rest in Him.  I grew up on a farm so I understand more than many the sheer amount of work that farm life requires.  Yet I also believe that there is very little as peaceful as a farm at rest.  Rest.  Reset.  Relax.  Whatever word you want to use, it is God’s idea and plan that we set aside regular times to be still before Him and know that He is God.  God was the One who set forth the idea, and commanded, a day of rest each week for His people, Israel.  As Jesus walked the earth, He not only practiced times of rest away from the crowds, He would lead His disciples to places where they could be alone and experience true rest.  I believe that most of us have warning signs, sirens, and/or signals of some type that go off within us to let us know we are overdue for rest.  I’m getting better at recognizing, and responding to, those in my life but it is not easy.  It is in the remembering what happens to me mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and whatever other ‘allys that exist that I realize the need to make every effort to not go down some of those old roads again.

I pray that you and I would pay attention to the Spirit within us when it comes to our need for rest.  I pray that you would have places of complete peace and tranquility where you can be still before God and let every fiber of your being reset according to His design and purpose in your life.  I pray that God is always the first One we go to whenever we feel worn down.

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2016: Page 57

My snow removal work from yesterday held up and all the sidewalks and entryways were in good shape when I arrived at work this morning.  My plan was to take care of the things at work that needed my attention in the morning and then take a break for a while before returning for a late night of cleaning and getting the building ready for the weekend.  As I worked on formatting my weekly prayer guide email and blog post, I was called to the office to take care of some networking issues as a computer wasn’t wanting to talk to the printer.  After a couple other interruptions, I finished the work I had started on but before heading out for the afternoon I got sidetracked with the second weekly collection of daily devotions I am working on.  As I wrote, I would grab chips and chocolate out of my desk to munch on to hold me over until I would go get lunch.  As I sat at my desk typing, the birds began to appear in the trees outside my window so I periodically pause from my writing long enough to take photos.  

As I finished day seven of the devotional booklet I was working at writing, I realized the afternoon had gotten away from me and the building would soon be empty enough that I could start cleaning.  After a quick sandwich so I had something to eat besides junk food all day, I began cleaning and spending time with God reflecting on the day.  I thought about the networking issues and how sometimes we seem to get our connections messed up to the point that it feels like communication with God is impossible.  The good news is that it doesn’t take a network specialist to resolve the conflicts that are blocking communication.  It simply takes us humbling ourselves and spending the time to seek God with our entire being as we go to Him in prayer.  

I thought about the variety of birds, and eventually a few deer, that gathered outside my window throughout the day.  So many unique representations of God’s creativity in the wildlife realm that caught my eye and made me wonder if I value the unique representations of God’s creativity when it is present in the people around me.  And then I thought about this series of booklets I am working on.  The one that I wrote today contains seven daily devotions focused on different aspects of serving with contentment.  As I mopped floors and prayed tonight, God reminded me of the times when I’ve served grudgingly with little or no contentment.  He reminded me of the joy that is present when serving others is done with contentment.  He called me to examine my motives in choosing the who, how, where, and why I serve.  Most of all, He encouraged me to keep serving Him as I serve others through the writings He gives me.

I pray that you and I would pay attention to the many lessons that God tries to teach us each day.  I pray for the wisdom to understand the life lessons that He wants me to learn through the interactions He knows I will have throughout a day.  I pray for the courage to honestly share with others in a way that helps them see the lessons God wants them to learn.

The photo on today’s page was a tough choice but I’m going with one that may require a second look.  My count finds ten birds in this photo but more than the number, I’m amazed at the different expressions and/or activity that that I notice as I look at each bird individually and then as a group.  I pray that you find joy in doing exactly what God has created for you to do and that you spend all the time necessary with Him to figure out what that is.

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2016: Page 56

The snow that filled up page 55 kept falling onto page 56 to start the day.  There was enough of it on yesterday’s page that nearly all of the area schools had made the announcement last night that there would be no school today.  That included Michiana Christian School and Sonshine Preschool, so it meant that I didn’t have to set the alarm to wake up at a specific time this morning.  I still find it funny when I wake up at 7:30 in the morning and think that I’ve “slept in”.  Once I was up and around, I went out and ran the snow blower on the drive at home as another 5 or 6 inches of snow had fallen overnight.  

When the snow finally quit falling I headed to work to clear the sidewalks and entryways of snow while the building was empty so I don’t have to get up early tomorrow to get it done.  It is also much easier to do before people start coming and going, packing down the snow with every footstep.  After running the snow blower for a while at work, it was time for lunch with my family before returning to work to finish up the tasks for the day.  The snow was wet and heavy, making even the snow blower grumble about having to move all of it.  The secret to getting the snow moved was having the patience to listen to the sound of the snow blower and not allow the engine speed to bog down.

I finished up my work for the day around 3 so I headed down to Potato Creek State Park with my cameras to take a stroll through the trails and capture some snowy scenes.  As I walked the trail, I would occasionally see a snow covered bench.  At each one, the first thought that came to mind was about it being a good place for someone to sit who just needed to “chill out”.  We all have times that we need such a bench, right?  James tells us that everyone should be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”

Sometimes we are in such a rush that our internal “engine” gets bogged down from trying to do too much too fast and we need to throttle back our speed and just “chill out”.  I don’t know what “chilling out” will look like for you, but I’m guessing it is not sitting on a snow covered bench.  For me, it usually has to do with grabbing my cameras and stepping away from the things that draw me into living life at a speed that is not healthy.  Even though it is a lot of work to hike 3 miles through 8 – 10 inches of snow, it is a relaxing work that allows me to spend time with God in the beauty of His creation.  It seems that every time I go out with my cameras, regardless of the weather, God uses the things that I hear and see to teach me more about the walk He desires for me to have with Him.  The physical benefits of walking and hiking can be great, but those benefits pale in comparison to the spiritual and emotional benefits of deliberately spending time with God.

I pray that you and I would recognize our need to have times when we “chill out”.  I pray that we would deliberately throttle back the speed of our life so that we can listen to God more carefully.  I pray that the times we spend “chilling out” with God would prepare us to move forward at just the right speed as we follow His lead in everything.

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