Page 133 has been a “take it easy” kind of day.  I was able to sleep in for a while, then started my day writing yesterday’s page.  Once yesterday’s page was written, I did some minor editing of the photos I took yesterday and played some games on the computer.  It wasn’t long before morning had slipped away so we went out for lunch.  I bought some baby back ribs earlier in the week, so when we got back from lunch I fired up the pellet grill and began the process of slow-cooking and smoking the ribs.  While they were on the grill, we made our way to the riverwalk to enjoy the warmth and sunshine of a beautiful afternoon.

The orioles were out along the river singing their beautiful songs but being very shy about having their photograph taken.  All my shots of them today are from behind as it seems every time I would see one facing me it would fly off as soon as I raised the camera.  It made me think about how we ought to be more like these orioles — content to sing our song but not wanting the spotlight to be on us.  God does instruct us to do the good works He created in advance for us to do, but He also says we should do them in such a way that it causes people to glorify Him.

After the walk, we came back home and I went through the photos I had just taken while the ribs continued to cook on the grill.  About six hours after putting them on, the ribs were finally done and they were simply incredible with their fall off the bone barbecue goodness.  I was thankful for God’s instruction to Peter to “get up and eat and do not call anything unclean which I have made clean.”  Pork has never tasted better. 🙂

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

• When your body is used to running a specific schedule it can be difficult to simply take it easy.
• Sometimes the best things seem to happen spontaneously and sometimes they seem to take a lot of planning.  Either way, you have to be present in the moment to experience the best.
• The chicken nuggets I had for lunch would not have been very good if they had cooked for six hours and the ribs I had for dinner would not have been good at all if they had cooked for only five minutes.  Wisdom is understanding what to spend less time on and what to spend more time on.
• Our life in Christ ought to be making beautiful music that causes people to glorify God and not us.
• The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness.  What God has called clean, let no one call unclean.

Page 132 was a long workday so I’m writing the page the next morning. 🙂  It finally felt like I slept well, but I was still awake before the alarm went off in the morning.  So, after a quick stop at the store to pick up some pop for the machine at work, I began my morning cleaning routine in the quietness of what turned into a beautiful day.  On my first trip out with trash, the darkness was giving way to twilight and the scattered clouds suggested it would be a gorgeous sunrise.  So, I grabbed my camera and set it up to time-lapse record while I finished the cleaning and building prep.  When the building as ready for the day, I retrieved my camera and found that the sunrise was indeed worth capturing as one layer of scattered clouds was moving away from the camera and a lower layer was moving toward the camera.  Each layer would pick up varying shades of color as the sun would rise behind them.

After filling the pop machine, I sat in my office for a short time and looked up from my desk to see a hawk swoop in and carry off a small bird that had been perched on a dead tree limb outside my office window.  Fortunately, I think I’m too large for a hawk to carry off so I headed outside to start the mowing which would be my primary task for most of the day.  I find that sitting on the mower seat on a warm, sunny day is very relaxing and enjoyable.  By early afternoon it was time to take a short break to get some lunch for me and some gas for the mower.  Once the mower and I were both filled back up, we went back to work for the rest of the afternoon.  By 5:30 I had covered the entire lawn area on the property and it was looking nice so I headed inside to enjoy a cold Dr Pepper before beginning the cleaning to get the building ready for Sunday.  The chair team had come early so they had the one end of the building done and ready for the weekend, which was a nice time-saver for me.  As I cleaned bathrooms and floors that I had just cleaned in the morning, I was reminded of both the necessity of regular cleaning and the benefit of doing so.  The day to day activity of life allows unseen dirt to accumulate but regular cleaning helps the task to become a series of touch-ups that don’t require drastic effort.  The same is true in our life.  The “daily grind” has a way of grinding some of that day into our life that is easier to clean up if we do so on a regular basis rather than waiting until it becomes a major restoration task.

With only having to clean one end of the building, I finished up just as the sun was beginning to set so I made a quick stop along the river before going home.  Today’s photo is of a pair of ducks resting along the riverfront.  It’s as if they came out for the view and fell asleep while watching the sunset.  It makes sense to me.  I went home and instead of writing the day’s page, I ended up sleeping through most of a television show before officially calling it a day and going to bed. 🙂

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

• It’s amazing how quickly my internal clock resets its alarm after just a few days of waking up earlier than planned.
• Habits or routines, call them what you like, can be very helpful or very harmful.  It depends on whether we allow good or bad to become the routine of our life.
• Trouble can be a lot like the clouds in the sky.  Too much and our day begins to darken when it should be filled with light, but just the right amount will amplify the light and reflect it in beautiful colors for all to see.
• Long tasks don’t have to be boring tasks when you turn the into God-seeking tasks.
• Don’t let dirt linger in your life.  Take care of the temptations, thoughts, and actions before they become habits.
• Sometimes the best thing you can do is to just sit quietly with the ones you love, and with God, and rest.

I was tired Wednesday night, so after the building cleared out I closed it up and headed home instead of cleaning.  That meant page 131 began early as I needed to do the cleaning and prep to get the building ready for the day.  It was another restless night but I was up a little before the alarm went off so I got dressed and made my way to work.  As I started a cup of coffee in my office, a deer walked by my window.  I haven’t seen many of the deer since the trees and brush have leafed out, so it was good to see this one even though it was too dark outside to photograph.

After the building was cleaned and ready for students to arrive, I finally had time to format and schedule next week’s prayer guide to be published on Sunday.  While I finally finished the writing of it yesterday, it has been a crazy week as far as any resemblance to my normal schedule and routine.  I guess not taking Thursday off actually becomes fitting for this not so normal week.  By mid-morning the work on scheduling the prayer guide for both email and web site publishing was complete so I turned my attention to making a list of some supplies that I was out of or would soon need.  Before that list was complete a poem showed up in my mind, so I typed it out and published it online before finishing the list.When   Susan wanted to go with me to pick up supplies so we made a quick stop at the zoo.  School field trips are in full swing so it was kind of crazy, but we made it in and Susan got to say hello to her animal friends before we went to Sam’s Club for supplies.  After we had the supplies I needed, we had lunch for two at the Sam’s Club cafe before heading home and calling it a day as far as work was concerned.  Seven hours wasn’t bad for a day off. 🙂  

I did a little bit of relaxing during the early afternoon but eventually we made our way to Potato Creek to do some walking and photo taking.  Today’s photo caught the reflection of the clouds, turtle, and tree stump on the stillness of a calm lake.  When it comes to seeing what’s above, the more still the water, the more clear and detailed the reflection.  Kind of sounds to me like our life in Christ.  The more still we are as we live in the presence of the Almighty, the more detailed the reflection of what’s above is seen in our life.  

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

• When the mind wants to run at a different speed than the body, I need to take advantage of the times when both are willing to rest.
• God gives me many scenes and experiences that are meant to be shared, but sometimes He makes His presence known in ways that are just for me.
• For a guy that likes to “just go with the flow” in so many things, I sure do thrive on routine.
• Sometimes it is more important to get a task done when needed than getting it done when planned.
• Often it doesn’t take a huge investment of time or money to make a child’s day.
• If people can’t see Jesus reflected in you, maybe you need to take time to be still.

A Reflective Moment

Page 130 has been a long day after another restless night.  I was awake often enough through the night that I almost got dressed at 3 AM to go in and get an early start on the workday.  As I thought about whether or not to do that, I must have finally fallen asleep because the next thing I remember is the alarm going off at 5:30 AM so I could get up for real. 🙂

I began the workday with the usual cleaning and building prep tasks and then did a check on the cooling systems as the forecast was for warmer temperatures today.  Once the building was ready, I settled in with God to finally finish the prayer guide for next week.  With my mom in the hospital and eventually getting a pacemaker put in early this week, the topic of facing trouble was easy to come up with when I began the prayer guide process on Monday.  Finding the time to settle my mind and finish the writing of it took a few days.

For me, stress has a way of bringing closer to the surface memories of events from years past that have been painful for a variety of reasons.  During those times, it doesn’t take a whole lot to transport my mind back to such occasions with such clarity that it is almost like I’m actually there again.  Today it was an email from a company wanting me to buy imprinted ink pens to use as promotional give-a-ways.  All of a sudden I was sitting in a camp board meeting where the board members were upset with the quality of the camp promotional pens and were being verbally angry with “whoever wasted our money on such crap.”  Their attitudes and angry discussion left no opening for a response and they really weren’t looking for one, but the truth is that I was the Advancement Manager with no money allotted for promotional materials so I had purchased the pens with my own money to give away at churches and events.  They were meant to be an inexpensive logo-ed give-a-way, not a fine presentation item.  While they were dismayed at what they were, the reality is that they were not willing to pay more let alone pay for the very basic items I was using.  It is funny how people can build lofty expectations while having no interest in doing their part to make those expectations happen.  I have learned when memories such as that are near the surface that I have to allow myself to process them and then move on with the realization that God has carried me through, and away from, such times.  While there are many times I would like to erase some of the memories of the past from my mind, God continues to show me that those memories are a reminder of how far He has brought me.

As I allowed my memory journey to leave the past and reenter the present, I turned my attention to what God is doing now.  I spent time working on some book items to get ready for some new writing and then started outlining some material for a couple workshop sessions I’ll lead at a student conference later this summer.  By late afternoon it was time to come up for air and lunch.  After stopping for lunch I  headed to the river to do a little walking and take some photos.  Today’s photo is of some flowers, or some weeds, depending on your perspective.  The same can be said for many of the circumstances of life — our perspective has a great influence on whether we view the circumstance as adding beauty or being a nuisance.  

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

• When one part of the body/family suffers, the rest of the body/family suffers with it but also strengthens and encourages the whole.
• While the forecasts and projections of man are not always accurate, they can help us prepare for things that are likely to happen.
• Preparing for things that may happen is better than not being prepared.  The problem often comes when we count on possibilities that are not guaranteed.
• Expecting quality without providing adequate resources will rarely work.
• Responding in anger to something without knowing the circumstances will often lead to trouble.
• It may be impossible to erase negative memories but we don’t have to respond to those memories negatively. 
• God can work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.  What you view as a weed, He can give it the beauty of a flower.

Page 129 began early and, unlike some recent days, I plan on it ending early as well.  In the middle of the night, Susan got up and did some wandering which I suspect was seizure related.  Once she was resettled, the rest of my night was rather restless.  I woke up before the alarm went off again this morning so I got dressed and headed into work early.  As I was cleaning in the building, I noticed that the sky was glowing in all shades of red as the sun prepared to make its way over the horizon for the day.  I grabbed my cameras and ran outside to take some pictures and set one of them up for some time-lapse recording.  Once it was set, I went back inside and finished cleaning and getting the building ready for the day.  After I had collected the trash and took it out, I noticed that the clouds had won out this morning as the sky was completely overcast with no sunrise color left in it.  I figured there was no use in time-lapse recording a solid gray sky, so I turned my camera off and headed back inside to finish up the building prep for the day.

Once the building was ready, I sat down to write out yesterday’s page while the events and lessons of the day were still accessible in my mind.  I find that the things that God tries to teach me each day are more easily remembered, and learned, when I take the time to recall them and type them out.  After I had written yesterday’s page and published it, I spent some more time working on next week’s prayer guide before heading to the hospital to check on my mom.  

My mom was out of bed and sitting in a chair when I got to her hospital room.  The official word had not arrived yet, but each medical staff person who came into the room brought with them news which gave greater confidence that mom would be released to go home.  Eventually one of the doctors came in with the official news that the discharge orders were forthcoming.  Soon after, the doctor who had installed the pacemaker came in and did his final check and instructions to begin the process of departure.  After he left, the nurse came back in with written instructions that each of the doctors had left.  Once those were explained, they called for a wheelchair and the hospital stay was over.

After taking mom and dad home, I made it back to South Bend in the middle of the afternoon and I was tired.  I spent a little time relaxing before going out and mowing the lawn.  The fresh air helped my alertness for a little bit, but once I was finished mowing the tiredness followed me inside.  So, I sat down to write today’s page and once finished will likely head to bed early to rest up for what will be a typical long Wednesday of work tomorrow.  Today’s photo is one that I took when I first went outside after noticing the sky beginning to light up this morning.  This was a case of making the most of the opportunity that was before me.  While I expected the sky to continue to brighten with even more vibrant color as the sun rose further, that didn’t happen.  I was able to capture the beauty of the morning in a photo because I accepted what was available and didn’t wait until a scene that I thought would be better.

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

• While I may get physically tired, I never get tired of everything involved in being Susan’s dad.
• God’s love is much greater than mine, so not only does He never get physically tired, He never tires of caring for me.
• Sometimes we expect things to turn out a certain way and even begin to think that because we want it that way, it ought to happen.
• There are some incredible people in all walks of life.  These last few days have highlighted some of those incredible people working in the medical field.
• A good attitude can be contagious.  Unfortunately, so can a bad attitude.  Which are you a carrier of?
• Knowing you are headed home can make the waiting process more tolerable, and even enjoyable.
• Some things in life have a limited window of opportunity.  
• When opportunity knocks, are you prepared to make the most of it?

Page 128 was a long day so the writing of it is taking place the next morning.  Depending on your perspective, it may seem like there wasn’t much I accomplished during the day.  But that is the fun part of serving a God that can see the bigger picture and weave our days into something beautiful.

The day began early as I was awake before my alarm went off, so I headed into work to get the cleaning and prep done to have the building ready for the day.  Once the building was ready, I began work on next week’s prayer guide which, when finished, will have people praying along with some scriptures about facing trouble.  I’ve met people that approach trouble in different ways, but I’ve never met anyone that hasn’t faced trouble of their own.  I believe once I complete the prayer guide and publish it next week, it will be a useful tool for many.

Once she made it to the building, Susan and I headed to the hospital to be with my mom and family as awaited word on the day’s schedule and pacemaker decision.  When I got there, it wasn’t long before the doctor came in and gave an update on what he would be doing with an estimated surgery time of 11:00 AM.  Thus continued the “hurry up and wait” process that often accompanies many parts of life.  It was good to be able to spend the day with family as we shared stories and I got to hold a baby much of the day. 🙂  I even had one of the hospital workers ask me how old my baby was. 😀  I think she was surprised, or maybe concerned, when I said I didn’t know.   As it turns out, Kendalyn is 5 weeks old and since she is the daughter of my niece, I decided that made me a great uncle.  

While running behind schedule, they did eventually come get mom for surgery as we continued the waiting process.  They did a great job of keeping us informed regarding when the prep was done, when they would be actually beginning the procedure, and when they were finished and she was heading back to the room.  The communication helped keep everyone connected and was a great stress reducer.  After the pacemaker was in, it was back to the room where mom was doing great.  I stayed with her so dad and the rest of the family could go home and take care of some things on the farm.  Mom’s expectations of surgery were from a generation ago, so she was very pleasantly surprised at how well she was doing so soon after coming back to the room.  Once dad came back to the hospital for the night, it was time for me to call it a day and get something to eat with my family on the way home.  When I arrived home, the moon was just coming up over the tree tops so I took a few photos that reminded me of God’s provision and planning for there to be times and seasons that He is in control of.

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

• Our perspective is rarely complete but it becomes more accurate as we learn to seek God’s perspective in everything.
• The things that we know we accomplish are likely minimal compared to the things God accomplishes in and through us in ways we don’t see.
• Troubles will come our way but troubles do not have to define us.
• A good family that cares for one another is a blessing that is often taken for granted when you have it and thought impossible when you don’t.
• It is easy to get stressed when we think our timing is the way everything ought to go.
• Babies are great reminders to me that God still places hope into the world.
• It is easy for me to love and care for an infant child.  Do I have that same care for an infant believer who also needs to grow and be loved?
• I will never be a grandpa, but I still have the opportunity to be a “great” relative. 🙂
• When love abounds, spending the day with a group of people doesn’t seem that long.

Page 127 was the first Sunday of the month so I was up early to spend time with God continuing to refine the sermon I would share this morning.  I continued the “Living as the Lord’s Servant” series I’ve been working on and today was a look at the life of Samuel.  I know it is God and His Spirit that carry me through each time I preach, yet this morning I was more acutely aware of that as it had been a rather restless night.  While it seemed like I slept well for at least part of the night, I know I was up numerous times as my heart, mind, and spirit were full of concern and prayers.  

The message I shared this morning from the life of Samuel was “The Lord’s Servant Shares Words of TRUTH:

• Trouble:  Many times we avoid sharing words of trouble because people don’t like hearing them.  We would much rather keep temporary peace than warn of the trouble that comes from a life that continually disobeys God.  When God revealed to Samuel the trouble that He was about to bring on the house of Eli because of the disregard Eli’s sons had shown for God and His people, Samuel was afraid to share that news with Eli.  Yet because he was a servant of the Lord, he shared truth even when that truth included news of trouble.  We do no one a favor when we avoid sharing truth because it includes news of trouble.
• Respect:  Our words of truth are always more effective when they are filled with words of respect.  Even when Samuel found it necessary to share words of trouble, he did so with respect — both respect for God and for those he was speaking to.  Samuel’s words conveyed to his hearers a respect for their ability to return to God.  He spoke truth in a way that believed that God could change any heart that inclined itself to His Word.  Our ability to speak effective truth hinges on our willingness to speak with respect.  When we believe that God can transform anyone who turns to Him, we are more likely to speak truth to them with the respect that we ought to have.
• Understanding:  Our words of truth must also be filled with an understanding that we can only receive from God.  During Samuel’s lifetime of serving the Lord, the people of Israel decided they needed to be like all the nations around them and have a king to rule over them.  As a leader that God was using to speak His truth to the people, Samuel took the nation’s demand for a king as a personal rejection of him.  God helped Samuel to understand that He was the one being rejected, not Samuel.  Knowing the truth helped Samuel speak to the people with an understanding that was able to explain fully what would happen if they continued pursuing something that was not good for them.  It is very easy to get our feelings hurt which makes it tempting to speak without understanding.  Truth, however, is shared when we seek understanding before speaking.  
• Trust:  Speaking words of truth requires trust.  It begins with trusting that God desires to speak His truth to us and through us.  It continues into our being trustworthy in the eyes of those we have opportunity to speak to.  We can know more truth than anyone else but if no one trusts us, our words will generally fall on deaf ears.  As Samuel prepares to deliver words of truth to the people of Israel, he reminds them of the integrity that he lived with as he served them.  In this reminder, he calls them to stand as witnesses to how he treated everyone with fairness.  As the people agreed with Samuel, a level of trust continued to grow which allowed the seeds of truth to be not only spoken, but heard.  The old saying, “they won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”, is all about building trust so that the words of truth you speak have value.
• Honor:  Words of truth are also words which are filled with honor.  Truth honors God and it honors those we speak to.  Samuel was faced with a choice of honor as Israel was confronted with their sin and rejection of God.  When the realization of what they had done in demanding a king and rejecting God, the people asked Samuel to pray for them.  While many of us may have pulled out the old phrase, “you made your bed, you lie in it”, Samuel lived and spoke with honor as his response not only indicated his willingness to pray but also that it would be a sin not to.  We speak with honor when we choose to not write anyone off as unreachable.  Our honor ought to compel us to pray even for those who reject and mistreat us.  Our words are filled with honor when we offer the hope of God to the people who need it most.

After the church service we stopped by the hospital to see my mom.  Dad was there with her as well as a number of my family members.  Mom was looking a lot better and her improvement was also reflected in dad’s appearance.  By this evening, it sounds like the doctors have settled on a plan to install a pacemaker to keep the heart rate from crashing as it had yesterday.  

With the day being full, I took no new pictures.  So, today’s photo is one that was in my Facebook memories feed from four years ago today.  It reminded me of the peace that God offers to those who put their hope and trust in Him.

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

• God promises to supply our every need but we often have a very different idea of what we need compared to what He knows we need.
• Preaching the Word is an incredible responsibility.  I don’t know how it could ever be done as it should be without fully seeking God in every aspect of preparation and delivery.
• Speaking the truth as a servant of the Lord involves more than just speaking true words.  It involves speaking from a heart that is fully surrendered to God.
• Hope has a way of improving the way we look and feel.
• God’s peace and hope is His gift to all who would receive it.

The written portion of page 126 will be rather brief, at least for now, but if I don’t write something my mind just might short-circuit.  🙂  The first half of the day was spent with my family as we headed to the outlet mall to do some shopping in preparation for an eventual vacation.  After the shopping, we stopped by Lake Michigan to take a few photos.  The wind was strong but the sky was clear so there was good visibility to be able to see the Chicago skyline from the Indiana shores.  Today’s photo was taken in Michigan City, Indiana of the lighthouse with a part of the Chicago skyline in the background.  It ended up being a great reminder of the lighthouse we have in Jesus that we can cling to when the waves of life seem to get a little rough.

The second half of the day was also spent with family but in a very different context.  This context calls upon the need for a lighthouse in the midst of a storm.  My mom was taken to the hospital today with some episodes of a heart rate that drops drastically from where it should be.  While it seems to bewilder many, I know One who understands fully what is going on.  If you would, please join me in praying that God would give great wisdom and understanding to those who need it.  Pray for my mom, but also pray for my dad as this is hard on him too.  Pray for the opportunities that God will present for all of us to represent Jesus well.  Pray that we would keep our eyes fixed on the light of Jesus even as we hold up that light for others to see.

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

• Family is family in good times and bad.  While perhaps more fun in good times, its strength is made evident in the not so good times.
• Sometimes the conditions of life increase the visibility of distant things.
• A lighthouse is pretty when surrounded by calm waters.  It can be life-saving when surrounded by the turbulent waters of a storm.
• The light of Jesus draws people to Him regardless of the life conditions we face.  His light in us ought to draw people to Him in both calm and stormy times.