Page 197 was a day filled with work, worship, and wonder — so full, in fact, that I’m doing the writing of the page the next morning. 🙂  While worship was definitely a part of it, the day began with a focus on work as I went in early to clean and prep the building for the Sunday gatherings of the church.  As I cleaned bathrooms and took out trash, I thought about how even little things can become a huge distraction in my own life.  When I think about the cleaning and prep process in the building being more about removing distractions rather than simply cleaning, it is easier for me to worship God for allowing me the privilege of serving.  I know that if I go out and eat in a restaurant that is dirty and it appears no one cares how it looks inside; it doesn’t seem to matter how good the food might be, all I can think about is the mess and how unsanitary everything looks.  While I believe I am diligent about the cleaning and building prep; looking at it as helping others in their worship of God as we gather together, helps me to be more mindful of Who I am working for.

After the building was ready, I went home to get myself cleaned and ready for the morning worship gathering.  When I got home, the sun was lighting up the sunflowers, so I stopped and shot a few photos.  Today’s photo is one of them as in the process of this flower blossoming it appears to be playing peek-a-boo with me.  You remember that game, right?  We hide our eyes and pretend that if we can’t see, then we can’t be seen.  While most commonly played with infants, how often do we continue that mindset into our everyday life and into our relationship with God?  If I don’t see someone in authority, they can’t see me so I can run that red light.  If I can’t see God, then He can’t see me so I can do whatever I want.  Most of us would never say anything that sounds so blatantly . . . well, blatantly sinful.  But does our life show we do it even if we would never say it?

Once I was cleaned up and ready, it was back to the church building to continue worship with a time focused on worship.  The service started out painfully loud, which was another reminder of how things that seem small can easily distract us from an attitude and expression of worship.  When it was time for the sermon, David brought a message from Acts 10 that continued the series he is preaching from the book of Acts.  The focus of the message was about our need to be, and declare ourselves, dependent on God.  The context of the message was the interaction that took place between God, Cornelius, and Peter as God used it to clearly remind Peter, and us, that the good news of Jesus is for everyone.  The message of declaring our dependence focused on the following points:

• We are dependent on God’s grace.  The Bible describes Cornelius as a God-fearing man who did good to his fellow-man, cared for the poor, and prayed to God.  Yet goodness wasn’t, and never will be, enough to establish a right and proper relationship with the living God.  While God noticed the prayers and righteous acts of Cornelius, He wanted more.  He wanted to give Cornelius a place in the kingdom as a child of God through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Our goodness doesn’t go unnoticed by God, but it will never be enough to make us right with God.  His grace longs to give us something more.  Something even greater than a life of goodness.  He wants to give us a life declared righteous through the blood of His Son.  This will only take place when we fully surrender to Him and declare our dependence on His grace.
• We are dependent on God’s people.  While an angel appeared to Cornelius in a vision, the angel was simply what angels are — a messenger.  There was no angelic proclamation of the gospel message.  No three point sermon by the angel with a decision hymn and baptism following.  No declaration of God’s forgiveness of sin or His acceptance of Cornelius into His kingdom.  No, simply a message with instructions that would leave him dependent on people to explain what must be done.  People, I might add, that he had to know wouldn’t be all that excited about paying him a visit.  While we read of God’s work in preparing Peter to respond positively to a request to visit Cornelius, it was no secret to Cornelius that Jewish law did not allow for a righteous Jew to associate with him or even visit him.  Yet his pursuit of God led him into such a dependence on people that he sent for Peter to come anyhow, trusting that obedience to God would turn out in his favor.  God’s plan to bring lost people into relationship with Him depends on God’s people truly being His people and taking that message to others everywhere we go.  Our inclusion in the family of God was dependent not only on our obedience to the gospel message, it was dependent on someone sharing that gospel message with us.
• We are dependent on God’s will.  While the conversion of Cornelius is a great story, the often unseen part is that the entire thing was dependent on God’s will that it take place.  I know, declaring a dependence on God’s will can be a scary thing.  And sometimes that declaration is even used as a cop-out to excuse our not doing what we ought — I mean, who really knows the will of God anyway?  Yet this story takes place and Cornelius is brought into the family of God as Peter is finally obedient to God’s will that the gospel message be taken into all the world and proclaimed to every people-group.    While scripture teaches that no person can fully know the mind of God, there are things that He makes abundantly clear in regard to what His will for us is.  And I believe the thing about His will that we are most dependent on is the wonderful news that it is His will that none should perish but that all should come to repentance.

After the worship gathering, I had lunch with my family and then spent some time resting before we headed out for an afternoon/evening roadtrip to Lake Michigan.  The forecast was calling for high waves on the lake so it sounded like some good photo opportunities.  We made several stops along the lake shore, where even with constant warnings being given on various news channels and all of the beaches flying red flags warning that conditions were not safe; many people, including small children, were out playing and swimming in the water.  It made me think about all the warnings we have in scripture about things that we should avoid because they are unsafe, and even sinful, but we often think we know best and do them anyway.  How much better would our lives be if we were to simply heed God’s warnings and enjoy what He does provide rather than be filled with desire for what is harmful.  

The last stop of our outing before heading home was to photograph the sunset over the lake.  While God’s creativity was something beautiful to behold, the capturing of it in photographs never seems to equal the grandeur of actually being there and seeing it.  Yet I photograph it, and will eventually share some of those photos, so that other can also enjoy a glimpse of the wonder that surrounds us.  I suspect that its somewhat like John’s attempt to describe in the book of Revelation his view of heaven.  His “photographs” of words could never fully describe what was being revealed, but words were all he had so he used them to give us a glimpse into a wonder that is beyond words.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Work, worship, and wonder can be unique parts of our daily life, but they each work best when we discover and value the connection between them.
• Distractions come in many forms and often rob us from experiencing the goodness that we could have enjoyed.
• When we try to look at things through the eyes of others, it is often easier to see how the things we do either add to or remove from the distractions they experience.
• Pretending that we don’t see doesn’t keep us from being seen.
• Without God’s grace, there is no access to salvation.
• Without God’s people, there is no one to offer the message of hope.
• Without God’s will, there is no hope to be found.
• Too often we don’t take the warnings of God’s Word seriously and then complain when we don’t like the consequences of disobedience.
• Sharing the wonder of God isn’t the same as experiencing it, but those who experience it ought to be eager to share it.

Well, they say the third time’s a charm.  Page 196 began with a message waiting on me that the printing company approved my third file submission as meeting their technical requirements so I could finally order a printed proof copy to review before calling the project complete.  I don’t think there was really anything special about it being the third attempt other than I finally understood and followed all of their requirements.  Now with the proof copy ordered, it is back to waiting so I don’t send a project to the printer until I can see how it is actually going to print.  Sometimes we get so anxious to accomplish something that we tend to skip some of the important steps we ought to take, thinking that somehow finishing quickly is more important than finishing correctly.

After a summer filled with a busy schedule, or Susan and/or I needing extra sleep, we finally made it to the zoo this morning.  Many of the animals were active to start the day and Susan enjoyed spending time watching the big cats as they paced . . . and the lions even roared at her.  She was happy to see the animals but seemed to wear down quickly so we cut our visit short and stopped by Menard’s on the way home.  Once home, she did some resting while I fired up the pellet grill to make bacon cheeseburgers and grilled zucchini for lunch.  After lunch I posted a few of the zoo pictures online and then took a nap.  While I seem to be making progress in getting the rest I need, there are times when I can tell that I’m not quite there yet.

As the afternoon faded into evening, we loaded up the canoe and kayak and headed to Potato Creek State Park for a family outing on the water.  The air was warm with just a light breeze as we put into the water and headed up a protected cove.  It had been a long time since we had the canoe out on the water and Susan wasn’t so sure about it . . . although the “boat ride” used to be one of her favorite family activities.  Eventually she decided she was safe and the ride became enjoyable and “fun” once again.  We were able to watch and listen to a variety of birds as we enjoyed the peaceful setting.  In addition to a variety of songbirds, we were visited by a few heron, an osprey, and a bald eagle who flew over with a fish dinner firmly in his grasp as he headed home.  Today’s photo was taken from the canoe Susan and I were sharing as MJ was also taking a photo of the beautiful scene in front of us — a light ripple on the water, puffs of clouds in a brilliant blue sky, a tree-lined shoreline, and reflections of all it in the warm, blue waters.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• “Do not become weary in doing good, for in due time you will reap a harvest if you don’t give up.”  (Galatians 6:9)
• God’s timing and my timing are not always the same thing.  When they are not, mine is the one that needs to change.
• Delays happen for a lot of reasons.  None of those reasons catch God by surprise.
• Skipping steps in a task to make up for lost time will usually result in more lost time eventually.
• Routine is good.  Adjusting that routine to the actual needs of people is better.
• When you need rest of whatever kind and you have the opportunity to take it, don’t delay or the opportunity may disappear.
• Sometimes we all need time to adjust to new things or things that we’ve not done in a long time.  Allowing time for that adjustment is good for everyone.
• Enjoying the beauty of God’s creation together as a family is a very good thing.

I was awake early this morning, so page 195 began with a trip to Potato Creek State Park with my kayak to capture some sunrise photos from the lake.  The clouds were just tinging with color when I arrived at the park but by the time I put my kayak on the lake, a fog began to rise off the water.  As I paddled across the lake, the fog continued to build until I was engulfed in its warm moisture with no shoreline visible in any direction.  It was a beautiful experience as the sounds of the birds waking up echoed from the trees, through the fog, and across the water.  As I floated on the calm surface of the water enjoying the experience, the fog began to lift as gradually as it had formed.  Through what was now a mild haze, I caught sight of a bald eagle surveying its domain.  Eventually the fog lifted enough to zoom in for some close-up photos, but today’s photo is one of the early ones that gives a broader perspective of the eagle perched up high where it could keep watch on everything around it.

After about an hour on the lake, it was time to head to work to get the workday started.  The workday began with another message informing me that once again my file submission for my book had been rejected as not meeting the technical requirements to be printed.  You would think that with this being book number ten for me to have printed with this company, I would have the process down and not experience these hurdles.  However, this will be the first full-color illustrated book I will publish so I guess there are some different things that I have to pay attention to.  After a number of messages back and forth with my book’s illustrator and some further research of the printing company’s technical expectations, I was eventually able to submit the book file for attempt number three.  That puts me back in a holding pattern as I need to wait for their actual review of the file before I can do anything else with it, so I headed out to finish up the mowing that I began yesterday.

The rest of the workday was spent on the mower enjoying the warm sunshine and pleasant breeze of a summer day.  By the time I made it to the back ball field, a mother deer came out with its young fawn to watch me mow.  It was fun to watch them prance across the field and then stop to watch what I was doing.  By the time the mowing was done, it was late in the afternoon so I headed inside to get the building ready for Sunday.  My first stop was a wise one as I checked the calendar and was reminded of the building being used tomorrow.  That changed up what needed done as I checked on bathroom readiness for tomorrow and then headed home as I will need to do the final cleaning and prep for Sunday either sometime tomorrow or early Sunday morning.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Even when conditions seem right for what you expect to experience, the actual result may be different than expected.
• Beauty isn’t always in the seeing . . . sometimes it is in the experiencing.
• Sometimes rising above the haze of life is necessary to gain the perspective that we ought to have.
• Just because you think you’ve done everything right, doesn’t mean that you have.
• While not accepted today, the only way this book doesn’t get printed is if I give up — and I have no intention of doing that.
• Dead-ends are only dead-ends if we quit trying to find the right way.
• I don’t know if the deer like the sound of the mower or if they know I don’t carry a camera on the mower, but they do seem to like watching me mow.
• Paying attention to what others are doing and have planned can sometimes help you work more efficiently.

Page 194 began with the news that my submitted book file was not suitable for the printing company to use in the way I had expected.  The message caught me by surprise because everything looked good with it on their online previewer yesterday when I uploaded the file to them.  So, I spent time this morning reworking the way the file should print and submitted it again.  Once again, the layout of the entire thing looks good on their online previewer so now it is back to waiting to see what their actual review of the file turns out to be this time.  While not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, the book file looks so good that the delay in getting it printed makes me even more anxious to see it finished.

After getting done what I could with the book and writing tasks, I headed out to spend some time mowing.  It is always fun to watch the swallows gliding over the lawn around the mower as the mowing process gets a lot of insects moving that the birds would like for a meal.  After spending a good part of the afternoon mowing, I wrapped up the workday and headed home.  By early evening we made our way to Potato Creek State Park to see if the eagles were out and with a plan on doing some walking.  The eagle wasn’t out and it was hot and humid so we passed on walking the trails through the woods as they were likely filled with mosquitoes.  Instead, we drove through the park and saw a mother deer with two young spotted fawns crossing the road in front of us.  We managed a couple photos from the truck but they weren’t too willing to stay around and pose.  

Instead of walking at the park, we drove back to town and went to the Mishawaka Riverwalk to get our walk in.  It was a beautiful evening along the river and I found a few members of God’s creation that were wanting to be photographed — at least it appeared like that is what they wanted.  Today’s photo is one of those as this bird was sitting in the evening sun.  Not only did he seem to want to pose, he had a beautiful song to share with all who would listen.  There was a gentle breeze along the river, so it was probably the better choice for walking than in the woods of Potato Creek.  After our walk, we stopped for dinner on the way home and then Susan went into an intense seizure just before we got home.  We got her in the house and MJ got some extra meds in her to bring her out of the seizure.  The post-seizure state wasn’t too bad this time around and she’s been resting as I write today’s page.  I made it through the day without a nap, so I guess I’m beginning to catch up on the needed rest . . . although I do find mowing to be rather relaxing and restful even without sleeping. 🙂

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Anticipation can fill us with joy, but putting our hope in that which is unsure can lead to disappointment.
• Just because something looks good as planned, doesn’t mean that it is good.
• Even when you think you’ve done everything right; if you’re work is not accepted by the one with the final say, then your best course is to find out what was unacceptable and make the necessary changes.
• God provides food for the birds of the air and sometimes He uses us to stir things up so their food is more readily available.
• If you’re in an environment that is not ideal for what you want to do, you can either make the best of it or find a more suitable environment . . . or both.
• Just because you don’t see what you’re looking for doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have something to show you.
• There is not rest so sweet as sitting with your face toward the Son as you sing His praises.

Much of page 193 has been focused on wrapping up a writing project and preparing some teaching materials.  I had planned on getting started on the mowing for the week, but rain moved in early in the day and stuck around all the way through early evening.  I started the day focused on developing and refining teaching material about various aspects of prayer and how they relate to prayer becoming a lifestyle.  As I worked on that, a message arrived with a link to the finished files for the children’s alphabet rhyme book that I wrote and have been having illustrated.  It was exciting to get those files and go through them, so I turned my attention to getting them sent to the printing company I use and setting up the book for their review as the next step in this process.  

Once the files were submitted, I turned my attention to setting up a Kindle edition of the book.  With this being an illustrated book, the process of setting it up for Kindle was different than what I was used to.  My first attempt didn’t turn out very well as the illustrations were larger than a normal e-book page.  After doing a little research, I found a “children’s book creator” tool designed to place each illustrated page on a new page of the e-book.  After going through that, I had a finished product that should allow for smooth electronic viewing of the book.  Once everything was submitted for both the print and electronic versions, it was back to the waiting game as the files go through review and approval.

After taking care of some things in the building and making sure it was ready for the evening, I finished out the workday with a return to working on the teaching material.  I think I’m still trying to overcome the mental, emotional, and physical fatigue from the past few weeks as I came home and took a nap after stopping for a late lunch.  Sometimes we get tired in one area of our life and a little rest takes care of it.  Other times it seems as if schedules, circumstances, and memories converge to completely exhaust us in ways that we weren’t even aware we could be tired in.  In those times it is important to draw especially near to God and realize the tiredness didn’t happen overnight and the recovery from it will likely take time as well.

After the nap, I fired up the pellet grill to cook some supper and wandered around the yard taking pictures while I waited for it to heat up.  The rain had finally stopped, but the raindrops were still present on many of the flower blossoms.  With their faced pointed upward, it was as if they were drinking in the life-giving water which added to their incredible beauty.  While most of us are not that fond of the rain and storms of life, and the weariness that often accompany them, God’s Word tells us that it is through the trials that our faith is not only tested, but it grows.  When we turn our face toward God and drink in His life-giving water during the storms of life, we find ourselves coming through the hard times with an even greater beauty than before.  After supper, I sat down to write today’s page while constantly checking to see if the review of my book files was complete so I can order the proof copies — no such luck with that, so I guess I’ll end up going to bed and anticipating waking up to the approval message tomorrow.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Sometimes the order of getting things done isn’t as important as simply doing what you can, when you can.
• When you can avoid waiting until the last minute to do things, you have more flexibility when circumstances don’t line up with your plans.
• Anticipation can bring excitement with it, but it also often brings work.
• Doing things the way you’ve always done them doesn’t work well when you are wanting a different result.
• Seeking help from a reliable source isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of wisdom.
• We can become tired in many ways and for many reasons, therefore rest doesn’t always look the same either.
• When our weariness is compounded by being tired in more than one part of our being, the rest needed will often need to take place over a longer period of time than we would like.
• God calls all who are weary to come to Him and He will give them rest.  Our willingness to draw near to God and abide in Him creates an atmosphere where we can find rest for our soul.
• The storms of life test our faith — not to destroy it, but to reveal the good work God is accomplishing in us that will carry us through to our eternal home.
• When the rains come that God has designed to produce growth in our life, we should turn our face toward God and drink in the living water that He freely gives.
• Waiting isn’t easy; but when you value what you are waiting for, it is worth it.

Page 192 began with some work on a few of the final “structure” pages of the children’s book I expect to publish soon.  The illustrations are all complete and I needed to format some information for the copyright, dedication, and about the author pages.  When completed, this will make book number ten that I have written and published and I am excited to see what God will choose to do with this one as it is quite different from my other writings.  

Once the book was proofread and information sent to the illustrator, I took care of a few tasks around the building before settling in for some prayerful work on the teaching material I’ll share at a student conference later this month.  The largest part of this process is spending time with God to refine the focus of what He would have me present.  The topic, Developing a Lifestyle of Prayer, is one I enjoy teaching but it can easily fill ten to twelve one-hour sessions and I have two one-hour time slots at the conference.  🙂  One of the difficulties in developing a lifestyle of prayer — at least for those of us who grew up with the influence of a church environment — is the need to rethink and broaden our perspective on what prayer is.  A lifestyle of prayer, or prayer without ceasing, requires that prayer becomes as natural to us as breathing.  One of the things with breathing is, that for the most part, we do it all the time without giving any thought to whether we are doing it right or not.  In fact, the only time we give it much thought at all is when our breathing becomes unnatural or becomes a thing of difficulty.  How vibrant would our prayer life be if it was such an ever-present part of our life that it was painfully obvious only when it was missing?

By mid-afternoon it was time to come up for air and head out for a late lunch on my way home.  By the time I got home I had an email with the latest revisions to my book, so I spent some time going over them before giving approval to the changes.  After resting a little while, I went outside to take some photos and relax on the porch as I watched for hummingbirds to photograph them as well.  Today’s photo is of the first sunflower blossom of the year.  The sunflower not only has a bright, sunny look to it, the “face” of the blossom generally follows the sun throughout the day so that the blossoms are typically facing east in the morning and west in the evening.  It made me think of how we ought to turn our face toward God at all times.  In a way, that describes the lifestyle of prayer that I teach about and that we all ought to have as we keep our face turned toward God each moment of our life.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• A book of content — even good content — soon falls apart without the proper structure surrounding it.  Life is very similar.
• For me, it is easy to build a routine and keep at it.  Stepping out of that routine to do something new is difficult but sometimes faithfulness requires that I do so.
• Success to the child of God ought to always be measured in faithfulness.
• When you do the work God has called you to do and you do it for Him, what He turns it into ought to always be acceptable.
• A lifestyle of prayer ought to be as natural to the child of God as breathing — maybe even more so.
• Sometimes using a lot of words is easier than using important words — but it’s not always better.
• Knowing how to concisely tell your “God-story” can be very useful as you often won’t have the time available to give all the details you would like.
• When we live each day with our face toward the Son, we find that others see His reflection in us more clearly.

I’ve sat here for over an hour trying to figure out how to write Page 191.  It has been a tough day as I’ve gone about my work with my brother and his family in my thoughts and prayers as today marks one year since the death of my niece.   I began the workday with a building walk-through and then settled in with God to work on the prayer guide for next week.  It took longer than usual to sort through the thoughts and ideas that would come to mind, but I eventually settled on the topic of living pure.  Because the Bible makes it clear that all have sinned, and experience teaches us that it is not always past tense, the subject of living pure can make most people rather uncomfortable.

The good news is that the Bible also tells us that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness — in other words, makes us pure!  The same power that we read of in Acts chapter two when the people responded to the message preached by Peter and were immersed for the forgiveness of their sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, is at work in us when we also respond to God’s message of salvation.  We are not only made pure by the washing away of our sins, we can live pure by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit that guides, instructs, and convicts us of sin, righteousness and judgment.

It was early afternoon by the time I finally got the prayer guide written and as I finished it up I noticed a deer standing outside my window.  I tried to get my camera out of my bag as quickly as I could without making sudden movements which might scare her away, but after I had retrieved my camera and looked back out the window she was gone.  As I prepared to shut down my computer, I noticed a flash of color heading toward my office window.  As I looked up, a cardinal swept inches away from my window before heading to the edge of the woods where he appeared to pose for the pictures which I happily took of him.  While I’ve seen them out at other places, it had been a while since I had seen a deer or a cardinal outside my office window.  The beauty of God’s creation always remind me of His presence and when they come near, I always have a greater sense of the nearness of His presence.

After taking a few photos and finishing up the workday tasks, I headed out to get a late lunch on my way home.  As I pulled out of the drive at work, a weariness settled into me with such force that I went straight home and fixed a couple hot dogs for lunch.  After lunch I played some computer/video games before giving in and laying down to take a nap.  My mind and body said, “Enough!”, and it was time for some rest.  I eventually woke up and fired up the pellet grill to make some bacon cheeseburgers for dinner.  While they cooked, I shot some photos of the flowers around the house as well as caught photographs of a few hummingbirds and a baby rabbit.  After dinner I made my way to my desk where I’ve worked at writing today’s page until now it is time to wrap it up and pray for a good night’s sleep.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• Sometimes we press on with tasks and responsibilities we must do, but eventually God calls us to pause and find rest in Him.
• The toll of emotional work is often less obvious than physical work until we find ourselves exhausted and wondering why.
• Memories are what we hold onto when we are no longer able to hold the ones we love.  So, go out and make good memories while you can.
• Living pure is God’s desire for each of His children.
• God both cleanses us from all unrighteousness as well as empowers and equips us to make pure choices through the power of His Spirit.
• When we seek God with our whole heart, He will be found.  When we look for His presence around us, we will see it.
• The Christian does not grieve as the world grieves, yet we do grieve even as those who have great hope.

After a long day yesterday, page 190 began with the writing of page 189 and then it was time to get cleaned up and head to church for the Sunday worship gathering.  While I enjoy and appreciate the opportunities I have through the prayer ministry to preach on some Sundays, it is also good to be home for a church service.  This morning, David continued a series he is preaching from the book of Acts with a look at the account of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus to Paul the Apostle.  While some may say that Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus left him no choice but to have a change of heart; as David pointed out in the sermon, many people written about in the Bible and many people today have had encounters with God that did not lead to a change of heart like Saul’s encounter did.

In Paul’s account of his encounter with Jesus on that road, he says that Jesus confronted him about “kicking against the goads.”  While this encounter was dramatic, there evidently had been other encounters designed to “prod” Saul toward a relationship with Jesus, yet he had to this point been resistant to responding positively to the encounters of God.  Sometimes God tries to “prod” us toward a relationship with Him or tries to encourage us to deepen the relationship we have with Him, but we miss the prodding because we were expecting it to look and sound differently than it did.  This morning David talked about three ways that God continues to draw us into an encounter with Him to lead us to a change of heart.

• We encounter God through His Word.  While Saul encountered words from Jesus while on His journey to Damascus, it was not his first exposure to the Word of God.  Yet, while none of his previous encounters with the Word of God had brought about a change of heart, they were useful in prodding him along in a journey toward God.  When we spend time in God’s Word, we encounter more than just words — we encounter the One who consistently draws us to Himself in love.  Yes, sometimes the journey is difficult, especially when we resist the change of heart God wants us to have, but His presence through His Word gives us guidance, comfort, and hope in the midst of unknown times.
• We encounter God through Circumstances.  Not only did Saul encounter God through His Word as he spent a lifetime of study, preparation, and practice as a Pharisee, he also encountered Him in the everyday circumstances of life.  While many can quote the Scripture that says, “God works everything together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes”; when the circumstances of life become confusing, many of us begin to doubt that promise is for us and applies to everything we go through.  Especially when we are headed in the wrong direction, God will often use what we may initially consider random circumstances to reveal Himself to us and draw us into greater alignment with the change of heart we need.
• We encounter God through the Witness of Others.  Even after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus, God used the witness of Ananias to further reveal Himself to Saul.  Prior to that, God has used the witness of multiple people, including Gamaliel and Stephen, to speak truth and plant seeds that would later grow into the change of heart that God desired.  Yes, we must always be careful to compare both our experiences and the words of other to the Word of God, but God has designed His Truth to be shared by His children.  Our testimony of God working in our life is not only important to us, but can be used by God to reveal Himself to others.  Likewise, God can use the testimony of others to help us see the change of heart we need to have.

After the church service, we changed up our routine and got pizza for lunch.  It was a place Susan was familiar with, and she got pop, so she seemed okay with this change.  After lunch we all relaxed for a little while before heading down to a niece’s house for an afternoon BBQ and birthday party for two of her children.  I’ve been around groups of people a lot recently and another afternoon with people wasn’t high on my list of ways to spend a Sunday afternoon, but yesterday’s race to remember and honor Bre was a reminder not to take family gathering times for granted.  It was a day for memories to be made and shared, so I took my camera and tried to capture some of those memories.  One of them is the photo on today’s page, as my mom was holding one of her great-grandchildren — the daughter of my brother’s daughter. 🙂  After the family gathering, we made our way home and I began the writing of today’s page so that it is finished before I call it a day and head to bed.

As I reflect on the day, here are some thoughts/lessons that stand out to me:

• I love the opportunities that God gives me to preach, but if I can’t be out preaching it is good to be home.
• If you’re waiting for an encounter with God before you have a change of heart toward Him, you may want to take a closer look at how He has been present all the time.
• When we allow our mind to define what an encounter with God should look like, we often miss noticing His presence which surrounds us.
• A good place to start if you want to recognize the encounters with God that He has already arranged for you, is to spend time in His Word.
• When circumstances cause you to change plans, or just seem confusing, spend time in prayer listening to God as you ask Him to help you see how He would have you live with a changed heart.
• It is always a good idea to pay attention to how God uses others to live and speak truth into our lives.
• Memories are easier to remember if you actually experience them to begin with.
• Today, or this moment, is an opportunity to make a memory that may not be possible to experience at any other time — is what you’re doing really that important?
• It does my heart good to see my mom holding one of her great-grandchildren.  Being present to take a photo captures a memory that is filled with joy.