Page 148 ended up being a long day, so it is another page that I’m writing the next morning.  We were up early for a 2 1/2 hour drive to go to church with an aunt and uncle then visit with them for part of the afternoon.  It was a good worship gathering and Susan was happy to sing, take communion, and give an offering as part of her worship.  She loves “going to church” and she loves being able to give.  As in many areas of her life, it is another example of what I believe Jesus meant when He said we must become as little children to inherit the kingdom of God.  It is difficult for most people to give when they don’t think they have anything to give or they don’t trust that they will have anything for themselves later if they give now.  Susan wants to give and trusts fully that she will continue to be cared for.  While testing God is generally not a good thing, giving is one area that God told His people to test Him in.  But I really think it becomes more of a test of us than of God.  To give cheerfully and generously, and joyfully will reveal a trust in God, and His provision and care, that cannot be shaken by circumstances.

The sermon for the morning concluded a series the preacher was doing for the month of May using different women of the Bible.  Today’s application was focused around learning from the wife of Pilate.  While there is not a lot known about her, we read in scripture that she tried to convince her husband to have nothing to do with the condemning of the innocent man, Jesus.  Because her concern was the result of a dream in which she “suffered a great deal”, the sermon focused on visions and dreams in regard to our listening to God.  As we looked at scripture, the  bottom line for the church age is that God’s Word is authoritative and the final answer.  God  has put His Spirit in us and His desire is for mankind to be in relationship with Him, so we ought to expect communication to take place in one manner or another.  Whether He speaks to you or I in visions and dreams, or not, His communication will always be consistent with Scripture.  

After the church service, we had lunch and then visited for a while before we said goodbye and headed for the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse on the Atlantic Ocean.  It was a beautiful lighthouse complex and the lighthouse itself was open to be able to climb the stairs to the top and look out over the ocean.  When I think about the construction of this lighthouse, which was completed in 1887, I marvel at the ingenuity of mankind.  Several lives were lost in the construction process, yet they continued knowing that many others would be saved as a result of the lighthouse.  For me, that thought was a good application to the prayer guide I wrote for this week about sacrificial service.  God calls us to follow the example of Jesus who gave up everything so that others, you and I, could be saved.

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

• Meeting around the Lord’s Table for remembrance and worship ought to feel like family no matter where you are.
• Giving can be joyful when you trust your Father to provide even that which you are giving.
• Faith can be seen in action by watching a child who is loved and cared for.
• God can use a variety of means to warn us that we are headed for trouble.  
• God’s Word should be our straight edge that we align everything to.
• Sacrificial service ought to be the way of life for a Christian.
• We will begin to make a kingdom difference when we live like Jesus and are willing to lay down our lives so that others would be saved.

Today’s page began early as I woke up to the sounds of Susan having a seizure sometime in the wee hours of the morning.  While it lasted for a while, it wasn’t major — at least as far as her seizures go.  Once she was through the seizure and back asleep, I went back to sleep for a little while but still made it up to catch the sunrise and some early morning photos.  Eventually we were all awake at the same time and went for a walk which included a lunch stop at Subway.  

The afternoon was spent at the beach with the help of a wonderful beach umbrella.  Susan and I were both able to get some rest under the shade of the umbrella.  I don’t mind getting a good tan, but age has brought a wisdom that realizes the top of my feet will burn if I don’t protect them from the sun.  So while Susan laid under the umbrella, I sat at the edge so I could soak in the sun’s rays while keeping my feet shaded.  I did venture away from the umbrella at times so I could fly my kite, swim in the gulf, and shoot some photos of the waves as they rolled into shore.  Eventually we left the beach so I could grill some chicken for dinner before returning to the beach for the sunset.  But the umbrella picture stuck with me as I thought about the protection that God offers to us through the instruction of His Word and the counsel of His Spirit.  

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

• I’m sure seizures take a toll on the person having them, but they also take a toll on those who care.
• Some days I think I need a reset button for my internal clock but God rewarded me with great beauty by getting up at my regular time this morning.
• God has given me a reset button for my mind — it’s called prayer and His Word.  I need to use it more often.
• Just as the body need good nutrition to fuel its intended purposes, so the soul needs spiritual nutrition to fuel its intended purposes.
• Sometimes we get burnt in our spirit because we choose to walk away from the protection of God’s Word and the counsel of His Spirit.
• A maturing Christian realizes the benefit of dwelling under the umbrella of God’s presence.
• Experience doesn’t always lead to wisdom.  Our application of the experience tells whether it produced wisdom or not.

Page 146 began with some sunrise photos then we headed out in search of some dolphin to photograph.  We have usually found them to be rather playful under the pier at the Fort De Soto park, so we made the drive down to see what we could find.  Unfortunately, we found no sign of dolphin at the park nor in the waterways leading up to, and surrounding, the park.  There was, however, plenty to photograph and enjoy during our visit.  It seems the cold front that brought the high winds and storms on Wednesday stirred up the water so that it is still full of suspended sand and dirt, keeping the dolphin more mobile as they search for food.  

After visiting the park, we stopped at a “beach store” so I could buy a kite to fly on the beach.  There is usually enough of a breeze coming in off the water to put a kite in the air and relax as it soars overhead.  After a very good seafood lunch, they brought the seafood combo platter out on a half-sheet cookie tray, we went to the beach where I was able to literally go fly a kite. 🙂  Eventually we took a break from the beach and went swimming in the pool before grilling hamburgers for dinner.  Hearing Christians tear down the authority of God’s Word as not being applicable, or not being understood correctly, made more sense as I watched the posted rules at the pool being disregarded and heard a child explaining to her mom why the rules didn’t apply to what she was doing.  Eventually a group of women showed up with speech that was entirely inappropriate for any setting, but being surrounded by children and adults didn’t seem to bother them.

Today’s photo kind of fits that mindset.  I found the birds standing on top of the sign to be interesting, but more telling of our culture is that the sign sets the boundaries for where swimming is allowed in the park.  Not that it made a lot of difference as there were people swimming all along the shoreline in either direction from the sign.  The first temptation to mankind was the serpent asking, “Did God really say?”.  The enemy continues to use that same question because it works so well.  As a culture we believe we are so much smarter than any generation prior to us, so we “know” God really didn’t say what the generations before us have believed He said.  Yes, it is possible to become Pharisaical in regards to legalism being the way to God, but it is also just as dangerous to empty the Word of God of its power which is the only way to be saved.  The same Jesus that said, “Your sins are forgiven.” also said, “If you love me, you will keep my commands.”  Perhaps we would do well to pay more attention to the little things that lead us into a lifestyle of disobedience before we find our self disobeying the “weightier matters”.

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

• Just because something worked in the past, doesn’t mean it will work today — but it might, so it still may be worth trying.
• When circumstances change so that what you are trying doesn’t work, it is time to find out what does work.
• Sometimes we all need to just “go fly a kite”.  Find something that is enjoyable and relaxing and just take the time to do it.
• Little things matter because they reveal our heart.
• Disobedience can easily become a lifestyle if we don’t put effort into taking every thought captive to the Word of God.
• Choosing to obey ought to be a response of love toward a God who first loved us.

Page 145 was a great family day that was full of good things right up to the end, so I’m writing this page the next morning. 🙂  The day began with the sky full of clouds and a steady breeze coming off the water.  We spent the morning at a county park and a botanical garden where, between the two, there were plenty of photo opportunities — including the photo that made today’s page.  While we were out, the clouds cleared and the sun came out to brighten the day.  We came back “home” for lunch and then finally made it to the pool.  After we had soaked in a fair amount of sun, we headed out for a late afternoon walk which resulted in ice cream for dinner.  Our evening was spent relaxing at the beach as we photographed the setting sun.  It is nice that we have a common hobby.  One of the ladies around us, who was also taking photos, commented that it looked like we had a competition going.  I told her, “no, just both of us doing something we enjoy.”  After the sun had set, it was back to the room to go through the 400 photos I had taken during the day.  My basic photo editing doesn’t work on the computer I have with me, so it was just time spent enjoying them as I browsed through looking for favorites and ideas for future photos.

Today’s photo was taken at the botanical gardens and it reminds me of how easy it is for things to bug me.  There are a lot of things in life that have the ability to “get under our skin” and bug us if we allow them to.  Yet many of those same things can help us to grow and become more effective in our walk with God if we would only learn from them.  Insects are not a favorite creature of mine, unless they’re butterflies, as a good number of them “bug” me.  Yet as I look at the beauty of the intricate detail captured in this photo, it serves to remind me of the beauty that God can make out of the things in life that tend to bug me.  Perhaps all of us need to pause and consider what God is working on whenever something bugs us.

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

• A famous line says, “there’s no place like home.”  Yet, experience tells me there are many places like home if I have my family with me.
• The writer of Romans says that mankind is without excuse when it comes to knowing God exists.  An observant walk through nature would say the same thing.
• The value of experiencing life together is not defined by the monetary cost.
• Family walks are great.  Family walks that result in an ice cream stop are even better!
• It is possible to put forth your best effort and constantly try to improve without being in competition with someone else.
• Always look for God’s work and beauty . . . even in the things that bug you.

Page 144 was a rather blustery day along the coast so we headed inland to see what we could find to do and photograph.  There were high wind warnings in place for the Skyway Bridge as we headed over it mid-morning.  Evidently, that danger increased as the bridge was completely closed as we headed north late in the afternoon — but that comes later in the story. 🙂

Our first stop for the day was at Myakka River State Park where we did some walking and found some birds and alligators to photograph.  After some time at the park, we made our way to lunch before stopping at the Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary.  On our way out of town this morning we went by a large sign advertising this place and the sign caught Susan’s eye immediately.  I don’t know that she understood it was advertising a place to see animals, but she did like the tiger pictures that were on the sign.  They had a variety of exotic, and not so exotic, animals but it was the tigers that Susan wanted to see.  Definitely worth stopping just to see the joy it brought to Susan.  Today’s photo is of one of the tigers who was very active and expressive as we watched and talked to them.

As we stopped at a farm market to pick up some veggies on our way back to town, the rain began to fall.  Heading north, the roadside signs warned that the Skyway Bridge was closed and an alternate route needed to be found.  Unfortunately, the only alternate route to this bridge was a very long drive around the entire bay.  The heavy rain had let up and it didn’t seem too windy inland, so we stopped at the outlet mall to spend a little time in hopes that the bridge would reopen.  Bonus number one of the closed bridge was the Hershey’s Ice Cream shop at the outlet mall. 🙂  After our walk and ice cream at the mall, we headed back north but the bridge was still closed.  So, on we drove north so we could come back south.  In fact, we had to drive so far north into Tampa that bonus number two of the closed bridge came up — dinner at Skyline Chili.  We did eventually make it back to our room where we could relax and go through the photos from the day.

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

• When trouble comes, flexible plans generally create better results than rigid plans.
• There are many things in life that could cause discouragement.  That doesn’t mean that you always have to let them do so.
• While plan B or C may not be as good as plan A, they’re still better than no plan and they just might turn out even better than plan A.
• One of my desires is to learn from Susan how to delight in the moment more often.
• Some events in life are difficult and annoying, but beyond our control.  Find ways to experience “bonus” joy during those events and you will often find them less annoying.
• Sometimes you have to go where you don’t want to be in order to get to where you do want to be.

Page 143 was a warm but breezy day.  I slept a little past sunrise this morning, so I guess the resting is beginning to reset my body clock.  A heavy cloud cover came with the strong breeze, so I don’t think I missed much of a sunrise anyway.  The day was spent at a couple different county parks where we were able to view and photograph a variety of beautiful scenes and birds.  We managed to catch sight of a couple different groups of dolphin, but none were at a good location to photograph.  We even found a couple different bald eagle nests, but the eagles were either hunkered down out of the wind and out of sight or were out catching the next meal.

Today’s photo is of a duck-type bird feeding one of her young.  I’m not sure I would be all that thrilled about a serving of fresh algae, but this seemed to satisfy the young.  As I read social media, there are many times that individuals get all bent out of shape in regard to how someone else raises their young.  I understand that there are people who mistreat their children and abuse them in a myriad of ways, but that’s not what I’m talking about.  Far too often, people are quick to criticize simple decisions that are not right and wrong issues but rather issues of parent and/or child preference.  It would be like me criticizing this mother for giving her young algae to eat when I don’t even know what kind of bird it is, let alone what the young prefer and what is best for it.  It seems like social media is often an instrument completely devoid of understanding and grace.  It doesn’t seem to matter what the topic, people are quick to become angry and judgmental regardless of how many facts they know . . . or more likely, don’t know.

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

• Learning to rest can be difficult to someone used to an early morning work routine.
• When I go out to take photos, I don’t always find what I’m looking for but I’m more likely to find something to photograph if I look.
• When we seek God with our whole heart, we don’t always find what we expect but we always find God . . . that’s His promise.
• I don’t have to know what something is, or understand it, to appreciate its beauty.
• God wants our conversations to be seasoned liberally with grace — that includes our social media conversations.
• People are different.  Some of us are more different than others. 🙂
• God’s standard of right and wrong never changes and is always accurate . . . but fortunately, it always comes with a generous portion of grace.

Page 142 has been a relaxing day even though I’m still in the habit of waking up early.  The early wake-up was actually a bonus as I was able to see about eight dolphin playing in the intercoastal waterway out our back door.  As the sun finished rising, they made their way to wherever they were heading for the day so I went inside for some breakfast and to see if the rest of my family was ready to start the day.  Once everyone was ready, we headed out and spent some time at a nature preserve in the morning, and then after lunch we headed to the beach.  

Today’s photo is of a pelican enjoying a meal he had just caught while a gull is coming in to see if he can get a free meal out of the deal.  I watched this pelican for some time as it would glide above the shoreline and then dive into the water for a tasty fish dinner.  Each time he dove into the water, he was immediately surrounded by gulls that were hoping for a chance at leftovers.  It made me think about how often people flock to something that appears to be successful rather than put in the work necessary on their own in order to have their own success.

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

• Sometimes I’m awake when I think I ought to be sleeping.  Those are always good times to see what God may be trying to teach or show me.
• Some opportunities only present themselves for a short time — you either have to make the most of it while you can, or miss it altogether.
• Working hard will often attract people who want to benefit from your hard work — do your work as if working for the Lord anyway.
• Rest is a process of surrender.