Page 181 was a long day of traveling home, so I’m doing the writing of the page the next morning.  The day began by finishing the writing of page 180 before going to bed around 1 AM, only to be awakened by a thunderstorm rolling through Kansas City half an hour later.  While the worst of it seemed to be off in the distance, today’s photo shows the affects of some distant lightning as it illuminated the cloud-filled sky.  It made me think of the return of Jesus and the day that it is not lightning that splits the sky open, but Jesus returning for those who are His.

After the early morning sound and light show, I was finally able to get to sleep for a few hours before the alarm went off at a quarter to six.  With a wedding rehearsal to be to back home at 5:30 PM; I was up, packed and on the road by 6:30 AM for the 9 hour drive.  Well, I should say for what was supposed to have been a 9 hour drive.  As I traveled most of the day, my GPS was consistent in estimating an arrival to destination time of 4:15.  It has a receiver built in that monitors traffic conditions, so I was keeping a careful eye the display as I made my way toward the point where I would have to decide if I would take the longer route to bypass Chicago, or go through it.  The times were looking good, so I passed the “cut-off point” and committed to the Chicago route.  Unfortunately, just as I arrived at the edge of Chicago, a thunderstorm also arrived and my estimated time of arrival jumped from 4:15 PM to 6:00 PM — and kept getting worse as I crawled along through traffic.  My GPS rerouted me several times as it continually looked for a quicker route, but I’m not sure it helped all that much as I ended up being nearly an hour late for the wedding rehearsal — a wedding I am officiating!  

When I arrived at the rehearsal, they had practiced what they could and seemed comfortable with the flow of the ceremony so we went through the part I would handle to make sure we were on the same page with what the ceremony would look like.  This is my nieces wedding, so fortunately I think they were all understanding and not too upset with me for being so late.  Sometimes we plan and we try to anticipate problems and delays but life still has a way of happening in an unplanned manner.  In those moments, we either accept what we cannot change, learn from it, and go with the flow; or we become angry, disillusioned, and even bitter at events we have little or no control over.  Life is much more joyful when I choose to be flexible and adapt to the unavoidable delays — even when I know they could have been avoided had I only anticipated the unseen. 😉  

When I finally got home from Kansas City after the wedding rehearsal, I checked email and social media messages before giving up on the day and heading to bed.  As I prepared to turn in for the night, the sound of fireworks shook the house as the 4-H fair began shooting off the first night’s fireworks display.  I was tempted to get up and try to shoot some fireworks photos, but was too tired to do so I know there will be other opportunities this weekend.

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

• The journey of life we are on only comes with an approximate time, so we would be wise to make the most of the moments we have.
• The power exhibited in the sky during a thunderstorm is small compared to the power that will be known when Jesus appears to call His children home.
• Sometimes we make the best choices possible with known information and we later realize it wasn’t the best choice after all.
• Hindsight can be a useful teacher for decision making in similar future decisions, but it is useless in changing decisions already made.
• When you do the best you can with what you have, you should live with a peace that doesn’t allow the regrets of “what if” to follow you.
• Having an understanding spirit when things aren’t what we want them to be, goes a long way toward maintaining peace and unity.
• Some decisions in life are easier than others, but none are as important as following Jesus no matter what. 

Page 180 began with heavy rain and as I sat down to write this, my phone just notified me of a severe thunderstorm warning for my location — although that might be for home rather than for where I am.  I was able to sleep in a little bit this morning and managed to have my morning coffee without scalding myself.  It has been a long day and I have to be up early in the morning, so this will probably be a briefly written page. 🙂

The exhibit hall has seemed to have had very few people coming through compared to other NACC displays I have set up, and today was no exception.  In fact, at various times over the past few days I have questioned whether it was really worth my trip and if I would return for future conventions.  About the time the doubt would begin to take hold, God would send someone to the display that encouraged me by their openness in needing what I had to offer.  It is difficult not to have expectations based on past experiences, but God continues to teach me to simply be faithful in what He calls me to do and trust Him to do what He has planned.

Today’s photo was taken on my walk back from my daily lunch/dinner.  Each day of the convention I have walked past this gap between two buildings and appreciated the care someone has taken to make and keep the area looking nice.  Here in the middle of downtown, surrounded by what could best be described as a concrete jungle, a small oasis exists in a most unlikely place.  It made me think of times I have found myself in environments that have not been pleasant and I wondered if my presence brought any influence of a peaceful oasis.  God’s desire is that we take His presence with us everywhere we go so that He can bring peace and beauty to what would otherwise be harsh conditions.

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

• I walk faster when it is raining.
• I make mistakes and sometimes I learn from them.
• The storms of life don’t discriminate — the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike.
• We choose whether we add beauty to an environment or contribute to its ugliness.
• God doesn’t have to reveal His plans to me in order for them to be good and right, but sometimes He gives me just enough of a glimpse to encourage me in the way He would have me go.
• Sometimes the people needing encouragement from you and I are the people God wants to use to encourage us.
• I may be a unique creation of God, but He uses that uniqueness to encourage others who have many similarities in their uniqueness. 

With the exhibit hall not opening until 9 AM, I was able to sleep in a little and try to catch up on some rest.  Much of page 179 was spent walking and standing on the concrete floor of the exhibit hall, so by tonight my feet and legs are tired.  It has seemed like a slow convention — at least in the exhibit hall — so my trust that God will use my display and presence here is being put to the test.

The conversations I end up involved in at a convention seem to run the full range of possibilities and then there are always a couple that run right past the realm of what any imagined possibilities would have sounded like.  This morning a lady was digging through piles of t-shirts in the booth next to mine as she and others were trying to find the right sizes and styles of shirts to purchase.  She looked up and saw me, then commented that it was sad that people were more interested in t-shirts than in a prayer ministry display.  Then she went back to her rummaging through the shirts and never did stop to see what I had to offer — I guess it wasn’t that sad after all.

By mid-afternoon, it was time to take a break for my daily lunch/dinner meal.  So far, I have compromised this week with my “creature of habit” tendencies.  Because the food was so good at the BBQ place I found on the first day of the convention, I’ve returned to the same restaurant each afternoon but have ordered something different each time. 🙂  It is about a mile walk each way, so if it’s not raining tomorrow I will probably walk back for a final time and try another item off the menu that I’ve not yet had this week.  For some, that probably doesn’t sound like a big deal.  But for me, ordering a new item after I’ve already found something that I like is very much stepping outside of my comfort zone.

Speaking of comfort zones, today’s photo was taken on my walk back to the convention center this afternoon.  There growing in a crack between the sidewalk and a building was this persistent plant sharing its beauty with all who would pass by.  It can’t be easy for this plant to grow in such an environment, but grow it does.  It not only has current blossoms, but you can see both an old blossom that is dying away and some new buds that will soon open to share their beauty as well.  Many times people think that they would be able to blossom in this world with great beauty if only their circumstances were better.  God’s desire is that we share His beauty regardless of our circumstances, even recognizing that sometimes the harshest of situations can make His beauty even more obvious and appreciated.

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

• Balance in life’s schedules can be difficult, but very necessary.
• Just because things don’t happen at my pace, doesn’t mean they aren’t happening at God’s pace.
• Priorities are what we do.
• Recognizing misplaced priorities isn’t very useful unless we are willing to change our actions.
• There can be comfort in things familiar, but there can also be goodness discovered in things new.
• Jesus said that His followers would face trouble so it should not surprise us when it comes.
• Hard times do not mean we can’t grow and reflect God’s beauty.  In fact, its in the toughest of times that He seems to specialize in making Himself known more fully.

Page 178 has been a long day . . . I know, they all have 24 hours in them, but there have been a lot of awake hours in this one. 🙂  As I start to write today’s page, it doesn’t look like I will complete it before the day is done . . . unless I quit writing after the next sentence. 🙂  Anyhow, I began the day making a cup of coffee and then promptly burning the inside of my mouth trying to drink it.  After my cup of coffee and a bag of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies for breakfast, I headed over to the convention center to see what kind of tweaking I could do to my display.  I made a few adjustments to provide better visibility of the resources displayed to those walking by.  The convention had a very slow start and by mid-afternoon there had only been a few people stop by to talk about the prayer ministry and pick up some books.  

With the hope that evening would be better, I took a break late in the afternoon to get some lunch/dinner that would hold me through the rest of the day.  The BBQ I had yesterday was so good that I walked the 2+ mile round trip again to try some different things from the menu.  For me, returning to the same place to eat is nothing unusual — I like routine.  But ordering something not only different from before, but something I have never had, is very unusual.  But there I was ordering a new combo that was completely different from the day before.  Not to be too courageous, for the two meat choices I got the pulled pork as one of them, which was a familiar choice for me, so I knew I would have at least part of my meal I could eat.  The second meat choice was lamb ribs.  Given the only lamb that I know of that I’ve eaten before was lamb burger, this order was a stretch for me.  My server yesterday had recommended them as her personal favorite, but I wasn’t yet ready then to take the chance.  Anyhow, the pulled pork was very good and the lamb was exceptional!  Now that I’m on a roll, I might just have to go back another day and try something completely different again — although it would be hard to pass up the lamb ribs as I don’t see those on the menu anywhere I’ve gone to before.

After my meal, I made it back to the display and talked with a few people before the evening main session of the convention.  As it turns out, my display is right at one of the two entrances to the main session seating area, so I was getting a lot of people going by the display but because they were headed in for the worship session, few of them were stopping by.  After the main session, traffic did pick up for a while and I had a number of good conversations with people who eventually took some books with them.

Today’s photo is one I took yesterday as I stopped for a walk before finishing my trip to Kansas City.  It is a sculpture just outside the Chillicothe library and because I have loved reading as far back as I have memory, it caught my eye.  Having crossed the Mississippi River at Hannibal, Missouri just the day before, this sculpture was even more meaningful as some of the first “full length” books that caught my attention as a young boy were The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.  As I thought about the role books and reading have played in my life, I marveled at how God has given me the gifting and privilege to write resources that encourage people to pursue Him.

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

• I shouldn’t need a “caution, this coffee is hot” warning on coffee that I expect to be hot.  Rather, I should pay attention to what I’m doing. 
• While it is easy to talk about “long days” and “short days”, it is God who gives the life to be lived in each day.
• God wants us to present ourselves as workmen who need not be ashamed because we are correctly applying His Word.
• It is one thing to make my ministry display as attractive as possible.  It is even better to make my Christian witness as attractive as possible to those who need to see Jesus.
• Our comfort zones are easy because . . . well, because they are comfortable.
• Many times God wants us to step out into something new so that He can surprise us with His goodness.
• People passing by doesn’t always mean people stopping to learn, but you can pretty much count on them not stopping if they never pass by.
• To quote an old book series my daughter loved having read to her when she was young, “Reading is the magic key that takes you where you want to be.”  While this can be true in the the things we read and then imagine, it is even more true when what we are reading is the perfect law of God’s Word which has the power to give true and everlasting freedom.

I began page 177 with some breakfast and a cup of coffee before resuming my trip to Kansas City.  My first stop was just down the street from where I stayed as I got in a morning walk through downtown Chillicothe, Missouri.  When I booked my lodging, I noticed that the town was noted for having a variety of giant murals painted on the exterior walls of some of the downtown buildings.  With needing to use up a little time so I didn’t hit Kansas City during the morning rush hour, I took a walk and photographed a number of the murals.  

As I drove out of town after my walk, the sky began to darken to the west and pretty soon I was driving in some fairly heavy rain which lasted all the way into downtown Kansas City as I arrived at the convention center.  After unloading my display materials and books, and snagging a couple extra tables from an exhibitor that wasn’t going to use them, I drove around the block and checked into the hotel.  Once my belongings were stowed away in my room, I headed back over to the convention center to work at getting the display set up.  For me, this is usually a process — I set up the basics and then step back to consider how best to fill in the remaining space.  Once it is all “done”, I leave it overnight and let the look of it simmer in my mind — often making at least minor changes first thing in the morning before the exhibit hall opens.

I thought I would take a nap after the initial set-up was done on the display, but it was such a beautiful afternoon that I ended up taking a walk instead.  About a mile into my walk, I began to smell the wonderful scent of BBQ.  Since it was late afternoon and I hadn’t had lunch, the appropriate thing to do was to follow my nose until I found the source of this wonderful aroma.  I chose a chicken and brisket combo plate and decided I may have to find a long enough break during the convention to return and see if their other choices are just as good.  After this late lunch/early dinner combo, I went back through the exhibit hall to see if any changes to the display had come to mind.  It still looked suitable to me and the set-up time for the day was nearly over, so I made my way back to the hotel where I settled in with God to write the prayer guide for next week.  With my latest book, “Living Free”, finished and in the process of being published, and the Fourth of July next week, I settled on the topic of living free for the prayer guide.  With a busy week ahead, my goal is to finish writing today’s page and try to get a good night’s sleep.

Today’s photo was taken from the hotel window this morning.  I had taken a few photos that were basically the top three fourths of this picture — the beautiful blues and whites of the sky and and the various shades of green from the fields and trees.  Then I took this photo which includes the highway that was also part of that view out my window.  While it is important to keep our eyes fixed upward in this journey of life, we also must be aware of the path we are on.  

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

• Sometimes a planned delay is useful to avoid a more frustrating unplanned delay.
• It is good to see a town have an identity that makes it attractive to people.  It is even better when God’s people have an identity that makes Him attractive to people.
• I find driving much more enjoyable when the sky is blue and filled with puffy clouds than when the sky is filled with clouds that are pouring down rain.  
• If we wish to arrive at our destination, it is important we continue the journey until the end, regardless of how much or little we like the “weather” we are passing through.
• Just because I have a process I like, doesn’t mean that others can’t do a similar task in ways that they find preferable.
• Our life ought to provide the sweet aroma of God’s Spirit that attracts people to Him.
• God has called us to live free, but He also instructs us not to use our freedom in ways that harm others or leads us into sin.
• Even while you keep an eye on the road ahead of you, it is important to keep your focus fixed on your eternal destination.

Page 176 has been a good day, but a long day.  I was up early so I could finish the last of the cleaning for the weekend so the building was ready for the Sunday morning worship gathering.  After the cleaning work was done, I packed the truck with the Impact Prayer Ministry display and resources for the North American Christian Convention.  Once I had everything in the truck that I needed — at least I hope I have everything I will need — I headed back home to get myself cleaned up.  When I was ready for the day, it was on the road to Cassopolis, Michigan to preach at the Pleasant View Church of Christ.  

I made it to the church in time for Sunday School, where the class I sat in on was looking at 1 Samuel 15 with a focus on our need to be obedient to God’s authority.  Unfortunately, I suspect that most of us are more like King Saul than we like to admit.  We know what God’s Word says but somehow we think our way, which is different, is the same as God’s way.  While Saul did not follow God’s instructions, it seems that in his mind he did.  In fact, he tells Samuel that he had indeed done everything that God had said to do.  When Samuel pointed out specific actions that were not what God had commanded, Saul became very defensive and when Samuel didn’t back down, Saul eventually tried to shift the blame to others.  Sound familiar?  Many today have one excuse after the other when it comes to why they believe a compromise of God’s Word is necessary.  Many are willing to accept the teachings of another simply because they are a good person — holding fast to sound doctrine seems to carry little weight.  Even while we look back and wonder how various institutions that began with a sound Christian foundation have strayed so far from the truth, we seem blind to the practices that led them there — and will lead us there.

After the Sunday School class, I shared in a great time of worship with the Pleasant View congregation.  During the worship gathering, I shared a message focused on prayer and living in such a way that prayer becomes a lifestyle rather than just an activity.  Following the church service, it was time to hit the road and begin my trip to Kansas City for the North American Christian Convention.  As I drove, the sky was once again filled with the big white puffy clouds set on a brilliant blue background.  With a little over 8 hours of road time ahead of me, I decided a couple stops along the lake to take some pictures wouldn’t extend the travel time all that much.  Today’s photo is from my first stop as I looked down a wind-swept sand dune across Lake Michigan toward Chicago.  The fluffy clouds were behind me and over the Chicago skyline but the sky over the lake was primarily clear blue.  It was a good stop to unwind a bit from the morning’s activities before continuing my journey down the road.  After an eventual stop for lunch, I finally made it to my stopping point for the night just after the sun had set for the day.  The writing of today’s page is part of my “unwinding” process tonight and hopefully I will be able to sleep soundly in preparation for some busy convention days.

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

• Handprints on glass doors are inevitable and seem to appear almost immediately after cleaning — even knowing it won’t last, the cleaning still needs done.
• Most of us seem to smudge our lives with sin on a pretty regular basis yet we can have confidence in the power of the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
• God desires obedience more than sacrifices and excuses.
• It can be very difficult to submit to God’s authority when we want to be the authority.
• Instead of becoming defensive, God wants us to repent when caught in sin.
• Repentance can be difficult because it means we are heading in a new direction and leaving the pursuit of our own authority behind.
• Prayer in your life will never be what I could be if it remains an activity rather than a lifestyle.
• The journey isn’t always about being the fastest, but it should always be about finishing.  Sometimes slowing down and enjoying the journey makes it possible to finish.

After a week in which I left the house by 7 each morning and didn’t get back home until nearly 9 each evening following Vacation Bible School, page 175 was a day to relax and rest — somewhat.  I slept in for a little while before getting up and sitting down with God and a cup of coffee as I went through the outline for the sermon I will share tomorrow.  As I let the scripture and thoughts simmer in my mind, I checked on Susan to see if she was going to wake up and go to the zoo.  She had no interest in getting up, so I let her sleep and gave myself a haircut so I don’t look so shaggy as I head out to preach and then make my way to the North American Christian Convention.

As I fired up the pellet grill to work on lunch, the sky was begging to be photographed with its brilliant blue background being danced upon by a variety of fluffy clouds.  After lunch the rest of my day was a mix of computer games, napping, sermon focus, and just letting my mind and body relax.  Today’s clouds reminded me of my childhood as I still remember times stretched out in the backyard watching the clouds float overhead.  Chances are good that I was doing my best to avoid working in the garden, but I would imagine myself floating among the clouds without a care in the world.  I would often look up in expectation that these could be the very clouds that Jesus ascended through as He returned to the Father . . . and perhaps the very clouds He would return upon to take His children, including me, to himself.

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

• Even good events can wear a person down eventually.  
• God strengthens us for the tasks at hand but also calls us to, and provides for, times of rest.
• It is good to have God’s Word hidden in my heart, but only if I don’t allow it to remain hidden.
• While we should care about our appearance, we should care more about our character.
• Just as surely as Jesus walked this earth and ascended back into heaven after His death, burial, and resurrection; one day Jesus will return to take His children home.
• While I often dream of and long for the day Jesus will return, that is only a pleasant thought for those who have been clothed in Christ.

Page 174 was filled with work from one end to the other with a short break in the middle to celebrate my daughter’s birthday.  I woke up and went to work early, hoping I could get a good part of the mowing done in the morning.  As it turned out, the rain moved in early and stayed much longer than the forecast had predicted.  So instead of mowing, I spent my morning cleaning bathrooms, running the floor scrubber, and washing glass doors to get the building ready for the Vacation Bible School closing program in the evening.  It kind of had a school year Friday feel to it as I knew those tasks would need to be done again at the end of the day so the building is ready for Sunday.  

By noon I had the building ready for the evening, so I went out to lunch with my family to begin Susan’s birthday celebration.  After lunch, Susan blew out the candles on her cake and opened her presents.  While I was home, the rain had come to an end and I shot a few photos while the flower blossoms were still covered in raindrops.  Today’s photo is of one of the daylily blossoms that seems to be drinking in the moisture.  God’s desire is that we would open ourselves to Him and drink deeply of the life-giving water of His Word.  

By late afternoon it was back to the church building to shoot photos during the VBS closing program.  I just realized as I’m typing this page, that I was so busy taking pictures that I missed out on the ice cream they were serving.  Once the program was over and people had finished their desserts and headed home, I finally made it outside to get the mowing started.  I didn’t know how far I would get before dark, so I started with the most visible areas around the building and leading up to the building.  I eventually made my way to the back ball field and made it about two-thirds of the way down the field before evening began to turn to night.  After putting the mower away, I went inside and ran the floor scrubber in the hallways before calling it a day.  Thankfully, my fellow staff members and a a crew of VBS volunteers had done a lot of the cleaning and prep to get the building ready for Sunday so I only have a little more to do sometime tomorrow or early Sunday morning.

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

• When there are multiple things that need done, sometimes it doesn’t make a lot of difference what order they are done in.
• As the morning storm front moved through, I watched the trees bend over almost horizontal to the ground as the front brought some intense wind with it.  With life came flexibility that kept the trees from breaking.
• The ability to be flexible through circumstances beyond our control also goes a long way toward keeping us from breaking.
• A quiet building to clean in is a good place to pray and seek God’s refining of the sermon I’m working on.
• Even with a lot that needs done, it is good to take the time to celebrate milestones in life.
• It is important to use our gifts, but even more important to allow God to use the gifts He has given us.