Page 318 was a Sunday, so I was able to sleep in for a little bit before getting up and heading to the church building for Sunday School and worship.  Our Sunday School class is beginning a study in the book of Philippians so this morning we began in Acts chapter 16 to get some of the background on the church at Philippi.  Sometimes when we read and study God’s Word we forget to pay attention to what happened before the events we read about that may have been influential in the current story.  But not doing that shouldn’t be that surprising given how infrequently we pay attention to our own history and the events that have been influential in our current story.  Sometime overnight the total view count on my blog surpassed the twenty-six thousand mark.  While I know blogs that have that kind of numbers every month, for me to reach that as a cumulative total since beginning the blog is quite astounding.  Reaching that point in my current story did not happen overnight and would not have happened without a lot of encouragement and work in the years past.  These views represent people from 127 countries that God has given me opportunity to share with — many whom I would likely not have the opportunity to share with if I had not started a blog nearly 10 years ago.  At that point, the extent of my writing had primarily been church newsletter articles but I was encouraged to find ways to share those writings with more people than would ever pick up a local church newsletter.  And so the blog, “Tom’s Treasure”, began with an occasional devotional article and the publishing of my past newsletter article writings.

In the morning worship gathering, the sermon focused on the story of the lost coin as told by Jesus.  In the story Jesus never tells how the coin became lost, only that the owner valued it enough to not only miss it but to take the steps necessary to reclaim it.  In this morning’s sermon, David shared three things that were done after the coin became lost that we also ought to be doing when it comes to people who are lost — regardless of how they became lost.  First, a lamp was lit.  Light dispels darkness and God has said that not only is Jesus the light of the world, but His children are to let our lights shine in such a way that people will glorify our Father in heaven.  When we search for the lost, we do so with the light of God’s Word to guide us.  Secondly, the house was swept.  As we search for the lost, it is important we begin by cleaning our house of any dirt that would keep us from seeing people as God sees them.  Regardless of what has caused a person to become lost, they were created by God in His image and it is His desire that they would be reclaimed by the blood of His Son, Jesus.  Thirdly, the search continued until it reached a successful conclusion.  There was no giving up.  No matter how long it took, no matter how much effort was required, there was not an option of quitting.  In our search for the lost, we must realize that it may become difficult and it may take longer than we expected but there can be no option of not caring if the lost are found.  The story ends with a great celebration as the persistence paid off and the lost was returned to the place where it belonged.  When our search for the lost results in them being found, God Himself rejoices with us in knowing that another person of great value has been restored in relationship with God where they belong.

With the news reporting that the moon would be closer to the earth than it has been for a long time, we headed down to the farm late in the afternoon to take some sunset and moonrise photos.  Today’s photos was taken across the farm pond as the moon made its way over the woods.  The still water reflected everything from the light of the moon to the silhouettes of the trees.  It was a beautiful sight to behold and reminded me of just how much difference a little light can make.

I pray that you and I would seek to understand how God has used our past circumstances to bring us to where we are and how He wants to use our present circumstances to take us to where He wants us to be.  I pray that we would reflect the heart of Jesus as we seek the lost and lead them to a restored relationship with God.  I pray that we would be the light of the world that Jesus has declared us to be.

Page 317 was a Saturday and while there was an autumn chill in the air, it was a beautiful fall day to spend with my family.  After a late work night on Friday, it was good to start today at a slower pace with no real schedule.  I started the day going through photos from yesterday’s lunch break and sharing a few on social media.  By late morning we were all up and ready to start our day for real.  We loaded up our camera equipment and stopped for lunch on our way out of town.  After lunch our first stop was Bonneyville Mills County Park near Bristol, Indiana to shoot a few photos of the scenery and the mill which was established in 1832.  While not running today, the mill is still operational and runs a seasonal schedule a few days a week.  The setting is beautiful and provides many photo opportunities but the mill is the central feature.  I enjoy knowing that the work and construction of past years is still being put to productive work.

The next stop of the day was Lowe’s, followed by Sam’s Club and WalMart to pick up a few things that were needed and a few things that were wanted.  After dropping off the groceries and supplies at home, we headed out to Potato Creek to catch the sunset.  Our first stop at the park was to see if the bald eagles were visible in the area where they are most often seen.  Sure enough, the pair of them were perched on a branch but it was a long way down the channel.  Even with my “bird camera”, the distance and lighting made it difficult to get pictures that were very good.  The good news, however, was that their location was at a spot that should be visible from a trail on the other side of the lake so we drove around to the trail head and set off on a short hike.  The big question as we walked down the trail is whether they stayed put or not.  It wasn’t long before we could see them through the brush sitting exactly where we had hoped to find them.  As the trail wound through the woods, MJ went ahead to see if there was a good opening to shoot some photos and I stayed back where I could watch them while Susan found a bench to wait on.  MJ got some great shots but eventually the eagles decided they were not comfortable with our presence and left their location with one of them taking up watch on the other side of the channel.  While this put him a little further away, it opened up a clearing where I could get some good photos of him with the background of an oak tree still dressed in its fall colors.  As we left the trail on a bluff overlooking the lake, the moon was reflecting brightly in the water below us and the western sky had a beautiful glow to it even though we had missed the sunset. While not what we went to the park expecting to photograph, today’s photo is the result of making the most of the opportunity that presented itself.

As I think about the day, my mind reflects on a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  We often like to think that new automatically means better, but sometimes it just means new.  God’s Word tells us to look for the ancient path, for the old way, because it is still the only way to Him.  When Jesus said that He is the way, the truth, and the life, He expressed a truth that He is the only path to the Father.  The way of surrendered obedience continues to be the only way that works to grow in our relationship with the living God.  There may be ways that appear more modern, more productive, more appealing, and less work, but they do not lead to the same place as the road which is narrow and leads to eternal life.

I pray that you and I would seek to walk the path that leads to eternal life.  I pray that we would hold fast to God’s Word and follow it rather than dismiss it as out of date.  I pray that we would live as ones who are free because we have gazed into, and kept, the perfect law of God’s Word.

Page 316 is currently in process as I write this with another hour or two of cleaning to get finished before I head home.  It began as a busy day and I suspect that it will remain that way until the end — but today, busy means variety.  The morning began with the usual cleaning and building prep before turning my attention to maintenance/janitorial supply inventory so I could order what is needed to keep doing my work.  The morning also included more preparation for the missions conference taking place next week and going through the accumulated mail on my desk — I guess the next step would be to find the accumulated mail a new home rather than it remaining on my desk, but that will be a task for another time. 🙂

By mid-afternoon, it was time to take a lunch break and step away for a short while before coming back to get the building cleaned and ready for the weekend.  As I headed out to lunch, I decided to go down to Potato Creek again as the sky was filled with dots of light, fluffy clouds highlighted against a bright blue background.  By the time I got to the park, the clouds had essentially disappeared except for one small cloud hanging over the lake.  While not what I was expecting, it still caught my eye to the extent that it became today’s photo.  As I took the photo, my mind thought about Elijah sending his servant out to look for signs of rain.  He eventually came back with a report that there was a cloud the size of a man’s hand out on the distant horizon.  While that may not sound like a significant report, Elijah knew that it was bringing the promised rain that would end the three and a half year drought.  He warned all who would listen to head for cover before the coming rain would make the paths and roads impassable.  

I suppose it was that small cloud and the story that made my mind start thinking about being insignificant.  There are so many times when I feel insignificant and unseen and even when God gives me reminders of how He is using the gifts He has put within me, I still wonder why people don’t seem to notice what God is doing with them.  It was with that backdrop that a poem began to form in my mind as I cleaned the building tonight.  The subject of the poem was on being unseen and as it formed I thought it was primarily going to be a reflection of what goes through my mind.  But early in the poem it became clear, to me at least, that it was more about an unborn child wanting to be seen so he would have the chance to make a difference.  Yes, it is still about unseen people and even myself, but it is more about each of us opening our eyes and ears to the cries of the unseen that some would rather we never saw at all.

I pray that you and I would learn to expect the unexpected when we allow God to direct every aspect of our life.  I pray that we would not judge the eventual result of something based on its beginning size.  I pray that we would value life — all life — and seek to make the unseen visible.  

I was tempted to get up early and begin page 315 watching the sunrise as I paddled my kayak across the lake at Potato Creek.  I woke up in time to get to the lake before sunrise, however it was warm and comfortable under the covers so I rolled over and went back to sleep.  When I finally got up, I checked on messages and posted today’s prayer point that I had forgotten to schedule before I went to bed last night.  I thought my social media newsfeed would be more civil now that the election is over, but when I made a foray back into the social media world today I found that it is still missing a level of civility that should be present given the majority of posts I would see are from Christian friends.  So, I’ll keep praying that God will restore peace and civility and I’ll stay away from the negativity a while longer and check in another week or two to see if people have regained some godly manners.

I do understand how easy it is to post things that end up not being beneficial to those who would read it.  I know I’ve been guilty of posting things in response to what someone has written without even thinking about how my words would sound when read by others.  I took today’s photo during a walk with my family this evening at Potato Creek.  When I saw this scene, it was a reminder to me of a need to simply sit with God and learn from Him about every aspect of my life.  Perhaps if we would commit to sitting with God for a period of time before posting anything on social media, what we see and read from each other would be more uplifting and encouraging.

Before I went to bed last night I was told that my father-in-law’s truck was leaking coolant from the top of the radiator reservoir.  This sounded strange to me and all I could conclude was that someone had overfilled the cooling system.  The excess coolant had to be coming from somewhere and an overfill was the only thing that made sense — at least to a non-mechanic such as myself.  So, when my inside tasks were done I headed out to see if I could drain off the excess and bring the level to where it should be.  When I pulled the radiator cap I was surprised to discover that while the overflow reservoir was full, the radiator itself wasn’t.  It seems that the cap and overflow tube were filled with some type of slimy sediment sludge that evidently only allowed the coolant to flow one direction — out of the radiator.  I cleaned up the openings as best as I could and refilled the radiator with clean coolant.  This seemed to get it working but I knew it needed a more complete flush and cleaning to keep the problem from immediately returning.  So much of my morning was spent walking along the river taking photos after dropping the truck off at the shop.

As I walked, I thought about the importance of finding the truth even if it is different than the only thing we can think.  No one had over-filled Gene’s truck with coolant even though that was the only thing my mind could think was the problem.  I had to physically look and investigate in order to find the real truth.  Far too often we hear reports of things that have happened and our mind immediately reaches a conclusion that may well be far from the actual truth.  We would do well to prayerfully investigate the actual things that concern us and ask God to reveal to us the truth of the situation.

As I was out walking, I got the call that the truck was done so I picked it up and headed home to fix some bacon cheeseburgers on the pellet grill for lunch.  By late afternoon, we decided to take advantage of another beautiful day of sunshine and headed down to Potato Creek for an early evening family walk.  We even managed to see one of the bald eagles at a distance before we left and headed home, so that was an added bonus to the day.

I pray that you and I would guard the words we use both in speech and writing.  I pray that we would understand when specific things become more of a discouragement to us than a benefit and know when we need to make changes to what we allow to influence us.  I pray that we would learn to be Christ-like in all our interactions with people — especially people we disagree with.  I pray that we would learn to seek actual truth when jumping to conclusions seems to be easier and more natural.  I pray that we would know the beauty of creation and the encouragement of family.

Page 314 is a Wednesday which means it is one of my long workdays as I began with the early morning cleaning shortly after 6 AM and am writing this while I wait for the building to clear out so I can clean for tomorrow and be out of here around 10 PM tonight — hopefully.  Particularly on Wednesdays and Fridays, which are typically my long days, I try to get out mid-afternoon for an hour or so lunch break.  Today I grabbed my lunch and headed down to Potato Creek for a short hike and to take some photos.  The sun, sky, clouds, and water were stunning today and many of my photos turned out even better than I had hoped.  As I walked a trail along the lake and took in scenes such as today’s photo, I found my mind filled with songs of worship and praise.  Songs with words such as, “Behold He comes!  Riding on the clouds!  Shining like the sun!  At the trumpet’s call!  So, Lift your voice!  It’s the year of jubilee!  And out of Zion’s hill salvation comes!”  It is a song we would do in worship when I was dean of 5th & 6th grade camp and as I walked today, I could picture Jesus returning on the clouds proclaiming salvation has come.

The good news is that salvation is near and within reach of all who would call upon the name of the Lord.  Yes, there is a day coming when the fruit of that salvation will be made complete, but God has made a way through the blood of Jesus for us to receive that salvation in the here and now.  God has promised that all who have been buried with Christ will one day live risen with Christ.  We can experience the joy of salvation even as we await the return of Christ when He calls us home.  

After my walk and worship time, I returned to work to finish getting ready for tonight’s Bible study class.  Our lesson tonight was on not giving up and covered the life of Jacob.  As you read about Jacob’s life, there are probably times when you and I would have given up on him.  But God was faithful to His promises to Abraham and Isaac and would not give up on Jacob.  We also find times in Jacob’s life when he appeared to be uncertain of his purpose and direction but even in those times, he did not give up on God.  God promises that when we seek Him, He will be found when we seek Him with our whole heart.  As we draw near to God, we can be certain that He has no intention of ever giving up on us.  When we stumble and fall, we can be certain that He has no intention of giving up on us.  When we seem to have lost our way, He becomes the way for us so that we don’t have to give up.  When life become difficult, God calls for us to continue to cling to Him and never give up.

I pray that you and I would live lives that worship God at all times.  I pray that we would know, and live, the joy of our salvation each day.  I pray that we would be excited about the coming return of Jesus.  I pray that the excitement we have for the return of Jesus would compel us to share the good news of salvation.  I pray that we would be confident of God’s love for us that keeps Him from giving up on us.  I pray that we would grow in a faith that never gives up on God.  

I should start today’s page with a disclaimer — while the page is a reflection of my thoughts on this election day, it is not a political statement or viewpoint.  I am deliberately writing it early in the day before any election results are known because it isn’t about who won or lost, regardless of what the results are.  Instead, this is an observation of the spiritual lessons I have been learning today.

Well, page 313 was election day in the United States and as unpleasant as some of the choices were, I’m glad the day is over.  Most people I know view voting as a privilege and a God-given right but I would have to strongly question the second part of that belief.  I do believe that voting is a privilege and everyone who is offered that privilege should prayerfully participate.  I also believe it is a responsibility even more than a privilege and one that we shouldn’t take lightly.  There is an inherent problem, however, in voting for leaders and it is the problem pointed out by God when He replaced the people’s choice, Saul, with His choice, David, to be king of Israel — “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  One of the difficulties, even if we want to make godly choices, is that we cannot see the heart of another person accurately.  Yes, there are things about them that can give us a good idea of what their heart may be like — “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks”, but we will never have the same view of the heart that God does.

But it is not the hearts of the leaders that should concern us the most.  It is the condition of our heart that is the one we can do something about.  When a group of people are allowed to choose their leader, that leader will invariably reflect the hearts of those making the choice.  Most people I know are surprised at the candidates we have to choose from at almost every level of politics.  If you were to base your voting decision in almost any race solely on television ads that have been aired over the past few days, I’m not sure we would be able to vote for anyone — every ad that I have seen and heard has only been about what a terrible person their opponent is.  So, either the ads aren’t accurately representing the people running for various offices, or we’re in big trouble! 😉  And then I consider the spiritual climate in our nation and the eagerness of so many to call evil good  and good evil.  When the people of a nation turn their hearts away from God, it is unlikely they will be inclined to select leaders whose hearts are turned toward God — it could happen, but it would be a total work of God rather than of man.  The good news is that regardless of the process, no leader comes to power in a way that catches God by surprise.  Regardless of how the various candidates fare today, God is still on His throne and He has the power, ability, and desire to care for His children.  No matter who is president; God still calls me, and each of His children, to “care for the widows and orphans and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

As I consider my heart, do I care for the yet to be born children, for the poor, for the needy, for the lonely, for the abandoned, for the hurting, for the hungry, for the hopeless, for so many others who feel invisible or do I close my heart and expect the government to deal with that which God has called His children to do?  Do I love God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength or do I love myself more than God with portions of each of those?  Do I care for those that God brings across my path or do I try to justify myself and ask, “Who is my neighbor?”  Do I love when it is difficult and messy or only when it is convenient and beneficial?  It is only when my heart is turned fully toward God that I can help others know how to turn their hearts fully toward God.  And when the people of God have turned their hearts fully toward Him, they will take seriously His instruction for us to pray for our leaders so that we may live quiet and peaceful lives in full godliness.  Speaking of quiet and peaceful lives, today’s photo is of a young deer who was grazing quietly and peacefully outside my office window the entire time I’ve been writing this page.

I pray that you and I would turn our hearts fully toward God and pray for our leaders as He has instructed us to.

Page 312 was a Monday which meant I was up early and headed into work to get the cleaning and building prep done before the start of the school day.  In addition to the usual morning tasks, I spent some time with the heating and cooling system as it tends to get confused easily with the weather we’ve been having where it is cold in the mornings and warm in the afternoons.  Once the building was cleaned and I had made what adjustments I could to the HVAC system, it was time to seek God for direction in putting next week’s prayer guide together.  For some reason, the prayer guide topic was a struggle to come up with this week.  Often times that indicates a difficulty in focusing and listening on my part, but that didn’t seem to be the case today.  In fact, my time with God brought to mind some direction for a sermon I’ll share later this month.  Eventually the prayer guide topic and daily prayer points came together and flowed out of my prayer time and into print ready to be sent out for next week.

The prayer guide that came together for next week will focus on acceptable things according to God’s standards.  We have a tendency to use a lot of different standards when it comes to deciding what is or isn’t acceptable, but as children of God we ought to allow God’s standards to determine what is acceptable to us.  When God talks about something being acceptable to Him, He is not talking about it simply being good enough to get by.  No, His idea of acceptable means that it lives up to the highest of standards in all ways and reflects His glory in all things.

Once the next prayer guide was finished, I did some follow-up related to the teaching I did over the weekend and worked on some details for the Impact Prayer Ministry display I will have at the International Conference on Missions next week.  With an early start to the day, by mid-afternoon my workday was over and I stopped for a late lunch on the way home.  Later in the afternoon I started up the pellet grill and put on some chicken to cook while we headed down to Potato Creek for an evening family walk to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather that has continued into November.  Today’s photo was taken as we began our walk and headed down one of the trails with the sun shining brightly through the trees.  As the sun continued to drop into the western horizon, the shadows lengthened across the trails.  I thought about how easy it is for us to let God’s light move to a position in our lives where it is no longer in the center.  The further we allow the light of God to move away from the center of our life, the longer the darkness of the shadows grows.  Our goal as children of God ought to be to constantly live in the light of God in such a way that there is no room for shadows to creep in and take over.

I pray that you and I would remain steadfast in seeking God, especially when we have difficulty in hearing His voice.  I pray that we would know the goodness of God as He illuminates our life with His wisdom and guidance.  I pray that we would seek to know what is acceptable to God and then live in a way that honors Him.