Page 342 finds me working both ends of the day and most of the middle but fortunately God created chocolate and coffee to get me through the day. 🙂  I think I’m trying to come down with one of the bugs that the students tend to bring to school with them.  I think I went to bed at a decent time last night but it sure was hard to get going this morning.  Nonetheless, I made it up and in to work at my usual time to get the cleaning and building prep done to start the day.  Once the early part of the morning routine was done, I headed out to pick up cleaning supplies before all the Christmas shopping crazies woke up and clogged up the roadways.  While I was out, I picked up some parts for the floor scrubber then once I was back to work spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon working on it.  Once I had done what I could with it, I prayed that the repairs were successful and then plugged it in to recharge so I could try to use it tonight.  

After cleaning up, it was time for a late lunch and a trip to Potato Creek for a waist management and mental health walk.  When I arrived, the bald eagle was perched near the boat ramp and stayed long enough for me to snap two photos before flying off some 100 yards or so away to the other side of the  lake inlet.  This gave me a change to try out the zoom on my “bird” camera and I managed a few usable long-distance shots even while standing on a rocking floating pier.  It was far enough away that if I hadn’t seen where it had flown to, I would not have even known it was there.  Once again it was a bright, sunny day when I left the building and headed to lunch but by the time I made it to the park the clouds were rapidly overtaking the sunshine.  Today’s photo was taken at the end of my walk as the sun was doing its best to shine through the afternoon haze that the clouds had formed.   

After the nearly 5 mile walk, I headed back to work and spent time going over the lesson I would teach the elementary class tonight about the life of Moses.  The lesson would focus on the journey that God would use Moses to lead the people of Israel on from Egypt to the Promised Land.  We even played Candy Land as we talked about the journey that we are on as God has called us out of a slavery to sin and leads us to the Promised Land of an eternity with Him.  While I don’t see a pillar of fire or a hovering cloud to guide me, I do have the presence of God’s Spirit to follow each day.  As the students played the game, I talked about the journey of life they are on and how the pace of life is varied.  Sometimes they will walk with God at a fast pace as He leads them forward.  Sometimes they will stop for a period of time and wait upon the Lord.  Sometimes they will seem to be going in the wrong direction and need to especially keep their eyes focused on the Spirit who leads them.

Once class was over, I sat for a moment before beginning the cleaning routine to have the building ready for tomorrow.  With the potential for snow over the next few days, I may have to come in and work some tomorrow anyhow, but I figured I may as well have things ready so I can rest if it doesn’t snow until later.  Eventually I made it to the floor scrubbing and was happy to find out that my repairs were successful and the floor scrubber did its job as it was designed to.  After the cleaning was done and the building was ready for tomorrow, I sat down to write today’s page and now I’m ready to post it and head home to get some sleep. 🙂

I pray that you and I would stay focused on Christ this Christmas season and not get caught up into being one of the “crazies” that have lost perspective.  I pray that we would notice when our life needs a little extra maintenance to help it run as smoothly as God desires for it to.  I pray that we would find a godly balance in caring for our bodies without worshiping them.  I pray that we would allow God to be the one who leads us on our journey of life.  I pray that we would keep a steadfast focus on reaching the “Promised Land” regardless of what our personal journey there looks like.  

Page 341 finally saw the sun come out after what seems like weeks of gray and gloomy skies.  The morning began early in the usual way with cleaning and building prep.  Once the building was ready for the day, it was time to work on the record keeping and accounting for the missions’ account.  The morning also included some work on my Bible lesson for tomorrow evening.  As I worked, I was asked about adding some upper elementary boys to my class tomorrow.  This led to a discussion on their disruptive behavior and unwillingness to listen to adult-given instructions.  Having seen them in action, it wasn’t surprising information, but it wasn’t exactly what a person wants to hear when you’re being asked to teach them.  Being whatever it is I am, I agreed to give it a try and see how it goes so I am praying fervently that God gives me the patience and wisdom to teach well, and that He would show me how to correct any behavior that is inappropriate — theirs or mine. 🙂  

As I thought about teaching students who don’t want to learn, I began to wonder if God’s Spirit ever rolls his eyes when asked to teach us in the ways we ought to go.  I wonder if there are ever conversations in heaven that go something like this:  “But Father, your presence has dwelt among them for some time now and they pay absolutely no attention to what it is you want.”  “I know, but I’m sending you to be available should they be moved to draw near to Me.”  “Isn’t there someway I can make them listen?”  “That’s not your job.  You represent me and I stand at the door and knock, they must choose to open it.”  “Okay, then I will continue to present truth and conviction and pray that they will choose to accept both and change their ways.”  

It seems it is easy to notice when someone isn’t paying attention to us.  How mindful are we of the times when we are not paying attention to God and His Spirit that He has put within us?  We all want our children and the children within our church families to accept the message of the gospel and live as obedient, respectful children.  We become concerned when it doesn’t seem to be taking place and in the midst of the process we often wonder if we are making a positive difference in anyone’s life.  I am thankful that even though there have been people who have given up on me, God never has and never will.  We often pull out the 1 Corinthians 13 passage at weddings and other occasions to describe the kind of love that we ought to have.  Many times we hear that and think that it is a great idea, but who can really love like that?  God can, and God has, and God does!  The love we need when people aren’t what we want them to be is the same love God has for us even when we’re not yet what He desires for us to be.

By mid-afternoon, the sun had come out and I headed down to Potato Creek after getting some lunch.  It has been a while since I’ve been consistent in walking for any distance and it felt good to be on the trails again.  Today’s photo made me think of how I ought to reflect the love and nature of God.  The more still I become before Him, the more He is able to be seen in me.  

I pray that you and I would spend time with God accepting His instruction in our life.  I pray that we would be willing to share God’s instruction with others, even when it seems they aren’t paying attention.  I pray that we would examine our own level of obedience before we try to correct the disobedience of others.  I pray that we would make time to be still before the Lord in a way that He is reflected well in all we do and say.

Page 340 began the winter adjustments to accommodate the cold and snow — the alarm clock was set half an hour earlier so I would have time to clear the walks in addition to the building cleaning and I dug out the “long johns” for the season.  Unfortunately, they were the clothing “long johns” and not the kind from the bakery. 🙂  As I headed into work early, I found that the sidewalks didn’t need shoveled as the snow had mostly melted, but I did put ice melt down as the melting snow had frozen to make ice-covered sidewalks.  As I did my morning cleaning, I spent time in prayer and listening as I haven’t fully settled on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day sermon texts.  There are a few ideas rolling around in my mind that I believe are from God, so I’m confident He will gel the messages together when the time is right.

Once the building was ready for the day, I settled into my Monday morning routine of spending time with God to put together the next week’s prayer guide.  My mind seemed to have more difficulty that usual in coming up with the next topic.  As I prayed and considered a few topics that just didn’t connect with my spirit, a couple packages were delivered to my office.  It was as if a light bulb went on in my brain.  The rest of the morning was spent in prayer putting together the next prayer guide that will be focused on some of God’s promises, that have been fulfilled in Jesus, to send a deliverer who would rescue His people from their sins.  So as the prayer guide came together, we will be praying next week about some things God delivers us from as well as the nature of how God delivers us.  

With the early start to the day, by mid-afternoon I was hungry and tired.  One of the packages that arrived this morning was a new-to-me camera that will become my “bird” camera with an ultra zoom so I grabbed some lunch and headed to the Riverwalk to try out the camera and get some exercise.  As I started off on a three mile walk, one of my first opportunities to try out the camera ended up as the photo for today’s page.  This beautiful duck was standing on a partially submerged branch just watching the water flow by.  In fact, he was so picture perfect that if I didn’t know better I would think someone had put a decoy out and he wasn’t even real.  As I thought about it, it made me wonder how we present ourselves and whether people view us as being real or not.  Sometimes we become so skilled at putting up a front that is so good, people know that it is just a front.  But what if it isn’t a front?  What if we allow God’s Spirit to fill us to a point of overflowing such that God’s presence is all that is seen in us?  What if the righteousness we wear isn’t a front but is the result of being clothed with the righteousness of Christ?  How amazing would it be if we resembled Jesus so closely that people did a double-take when they saw us?

I pray that you and I would spend time listening to God and trust Him to lead us in the way that we should go.  I pray that we would recognize God as our deliverer and live as those who have been set free.  I pray that we would offer a message of deliverance to the people around us.  I pray that we would live a life so deeply buried in Christ that He is all people see when they look at us.

Page 338 has been a laid back day of much needed rest for the mind and body.  After sleeping in, the short morning was spent on some correspondence and going through the photos I took yesterday.  Shortly after noon we headed to a Chinese buffet for lunch and then wandered through Menard’s for a while.  The center of the afternoon was spent browsing Facebook and looking at some options for a mini-Christmas break getaway and also for my January trip to Gatlinburg for the Christian Camp Leaders’ Conference.  By late afternoon we headed to a house-warming open house before coming back home where I am sitting at the computer writing today’s page. 🙂

With so little accomplished today, this could either be one of my shortest written “pages” or one of the longest. 🙂  The photo on today’s page was taken yesterday afternoon as I found this robin fluffing up its feathers to insulate itself against the cold.  It made me think about the increasing layers of clothing that I will be wearing in the coming weeks and months in an effort to stay warm while doing the necessary outside tasks.  Yesterday I could have used one more layer than what I had on, yet here was this bird using its created ability to insulate its body from the cold.  It was a great reminder of how God cares for the birds of the air in a way that should increase my level of trust in Him.  

As I looked at information today about the Gatlinburg, Tennessee area, I thought about the tension that exists between truth and fear.  Throughout the week nearly all of the news coming out of the Gatlinburg area was about the wildfires and the devastating losses being caused.  Unfortunately, now that that fires are out it appears that the truth of the devastation has created a fear that there is nothing left to visit.  Now the message trying to be shared on one website after another is, “Yes, help is needed for those who suffered great damage and loss but the rest of us need your help through your continued vacations and visits to the area.”  It made me think of how difficult it is at times to let people know about the needs you have without creating a fear in their mind that you are on the brink of some catastrophe.  When we are in the midst of a “fire” in our life, that is what we are likely to talk about even if it isn’t the total, or even majority, view of what is really going on.  While understanding that is important when we consider how we share with others, it is even more important when we listen to them about what is going on in their life.  Yes, the damage and loss need to be made known but we also need to take the time to step back and examine the fuller picture of what we still have.  Even as a Christian, we can experience great loss that will feel like it can completely devastate us so it is critical to remember that no matter what we lose, nothing can separate us from the love of God that we have through Christ Jesus.

I pray that you and I would not just know about, but that we would know how much God cares for us because of His great love.  I pray that we would pay attention to the reminders of His presence that God surrounds us with.  I pray that we would not forget those who suffer loss, but we would also not let their loss fill us with fear.  I pray that we would always remember what we have in Christ, regardless of any loss or tragedy we face in this life.

After a late night on page 335, I was able to sleep in today to delay that start of page 336.  This also meant that Susan was able to sleep in and hopefully catch up on some rest after having a few days of some seizure activity.  When I got up, I spent the morning catching up on bookkeeping for the prayer ministry.  As I worked on the computer I got a message that I needed to check on the heat at the building as one of the rooms has been cold for a few days.  At that point, it was late morning so I had Susan start waking up and fired up the pellet grill to get lunch going while she got herself ready for the day.  After getting breakfast for Susan and putting pork chops on the grill, we headed into work to check on the heating issue.  The boilers were all running, which was a good thing, but that meant finding the solution might be a little more complicated.  As I began to work through the HVAC control system on the computer, I eventually found that the heat setting for each of the zones that had been worked on earlier this fall was set at 65 degrees.  That would certainly make some rooms feel a little chilly on a cold, windy day.  After going through the system and setting the affected zones correctly, I spent some time watching the room temperature readouts slowly climb into a more normal range before heading back home.

At home, I finished up the pork chops and we had lunch before heading to Sam’s Club to pick up some things on our grocery list.  The evening was spent having dinner with my mom and dad with the pleasant surprise of having my older brother and his son join us as well.  It was good to spend time with family and enjoy a good meal together.  As I drove home, I thought about my deer friends that I photographed at the end of yesterday’s workday.  It was so dark, they could barely be seen in the shadows beyond the parking lot lights but I could sense that they were there watching me.  As I peered into the darkness I could see their silhouettes lined up on the hill so I pulled out my camera and tried every setting I could think of that might capture a usable photo of them.  My first attempt had the flash on and it made their eyes glow quite eerily without otherwise lighting up the scene.  When I finally opened up the lens and slowed down the shutter speed I could see that they were watching me just as I was watching them.  It was late, so after a couple photos I drove off as they continued to stand on the hill and watched me go.  As I thought about this scene, my mind shifted to the patience and respect needed for us to get along with those who are different than us.  Most of the time, it seems that we don’t stop long enough to even try to understand those who are different from us in some way.  When we notice differences, the first reaction of many of us is to try to figure out how to change the other person so they are more like us and if we don’t view that as possible, we ignore not only the differences but the person as well.  We would accomplish a much greater thing if we stop and pray that God would give us and understanding and respect for others as we allow Him to make the necessary changes — in them, or us, or both.

I pray that you and I would not only rest when we need it, but that we would be involved in helping others rest when they need it.  I pray that we would take whatever time it takes to discover why things aren’t right when our relationship with God seems to grow cool.  I pray that we would find ways to make time for, and value, the families that God has given us.  I pray that we would stop and pray when we encounter those who are different than us.  I pray that we would trust God to make the changes that are necessary, whether those changes are in us or others or both.  

Once the sun eventually came up, page 335 was warm and sunny for the first half of the day but by mid-afternoon the clouds had brought rapidly falling temperatures with them.  As it is Wednesday, today is one of my long workdays so I’m writing this during a break between teaching a 1st through 3 grade class and cleaning the building to get it ready for tomorrow.  The day began with the usual cleaning and building prep followed by some serious prayer time and work on what God would have me share with my evening class.  I spent some time working on my schedule and I think I registered to have a display at the Christian Camp Leaders’ Conference in late January next year.  

By mid-afternoon it was time for a break, so I headed out to lunch and then down to Potato Creek to enjoy the afternoon sunshine.  As I headed down to the park, the clouds began to stack up quickly and by the time I arrived the sun had mostly disappeared behind the clouds and the breeze coming off the lake was quite cold.  With no eagles sightings and the sun hiding behind the clouds, I didn’t take many pictures.  The ones I did take seemed to match my emotional mindset — a gray cloudy darkness.  I suppose part of it is the typical let-down after the pouring out of myself at a conference.  Things such as ICOM are so encouraging from a ministry perspective, but so draining on a personal level.  I press on, hoping that someday it will feel like I belong somewhere but I suspect that is not likely until I arrive to my home in heaven.

As it turned out, the lesson I taught tonight was about the life of Joseph.  The theme woven throughout my teaching was God is with us in times of trouble.  We even played the old board game, Trouble, as I told the story of Joseph and how God was with him in all of his times of trouble.  So often, we think that God being with us in times of trouble means that He should get us out of the troublesome times.  He does that, but rarely does it happen in the way or time that we would like.  God did get Joseph out of a variety of troublesome times, but it was always according to God’s timing which included years of waiting.  Yet even in the waiting, it appears that Joseph understood God was with him in times of trouble.  I believe it was that realization that helped Joseph see the bigger picture when his brothers showed up looking for food.  Most of us would have been at least tempted to get even, but Joseph could see the hand of God using his troubles to rescue not just the Egyptians, but his own family from a time of severe famine.  So often, I need the reminder that God is with me in times of trouble because I  have such a difficult time seeing through the clouds of darkness.  Sometimes the darkness is in my own mind and sometimes it really is a darkness of rejection, but regardless of the source I must always keep in mind that God is with me.  

I pray that you and I would enjoy the warmth of God’s presence and realize He is with us even when the gray clouds gather in our life.  I pray that we would be involved in teaching others, not from our own wisdom but out of our time spent with God.  I pray that we would believe that God is always with us in or troubles.  I pray that we would look for the bigger picture story of how God will use our troubles as we wait upon Him.  I pray that we would never lose our longing for the heavenly home that God is calling each of His children to.