Page 53 should end up being a long, but good, workday.  The work part of the day began at 6 AM and will probably go at least until 10 PM.  As is typical on Wednesdays, I am writing today’s page while I wait for the building to clear out so I can get the cleaning done for tomorrow.  The forecast for today called for dense fog to start the day but there was nothing but some light ground haze as I made my way to work.  As I took the trash out after cleaning and taking care of some inside tasks, the sliver of moon in sky caught my attention so I grabbed my camera and took a few photos of it before the sun made its way up over the horizon.  As I zoomed in on the moon, which was not far above the eastern horizon, I could see the brightness of the sun shining upon it and knew it wouldn’t be long before the sunrise began to light up the horizon.  

Sure enough, the scattered clouds soon began to glow as the sun began to crawl up over the horizon and into view.  As I shot photos of the rising sun, I “played around” with the setting that was available to me — the playground. 🙂  Today’s photo was taken looking through some playground equipment as the sun was beaming down onto the haze-covered ground of the lawn.  In my mind, I could picture God’s love being poured out into a hopper which directs it into the lives of His children.  We can be the light of the world that Jesus calls us to be because we have the true Light living in us.  It is my prayer that God’s people, including myself, would reject the temptations of this world to participate in darkness through the way we treat one another.  The light that is in us, and the light that we ought to be, has the power to overcome the darkness if we would let it shine as purely as possible.

After taking some photos, I came inside to work on some projects in the office most of the morning.  By noon I was ready for a break, so I did a little research and booked our favorite vacation spot for our annual late spring/early summer trip.  After the trip was booked, I finished up my morning projects and headed out for a mid-afternoon lunch before returning to work.  Instead of heading out for a walk as I often do when I take a break on these long workdays, I fired up the chainsaw and spent time on one of the outside projects I didn’t get to yesterday because of the rain.  It had been a while since I had cut wood and it felt good to have the chain saw in my hand and enjoy the smell of fresh sawdust.  When I had used all the mixed fuel I had brought with me, I headed inside to make sure the building was ready for Bible classes tonight and then began writing this page.  The people have pretty much cleared out of the building, so I’ll finish up the page so I can get my work done and head home.

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

• When I worked on a roofing crew my boss always said we wouldn’t call off a job because of a forecast.  We would go and let the actual weather decide if we could work.
• It is far too easy for the “what ifs” to keep us from doing what we ought.
• God teaches me in so many ways each day.  Sometimes I actually pay attention to the lessons.
• It is a lot easier to think of Jesus being the light of the world than for us to live as the light of the world.
• God rarely calls us to take the easy path but He does promise to make the difficult path easier if we walk it with Him.
• Physical labor is easier on the body if we make it a regular practice so that our body is used to it.
• Spiritual labor is easier on the mind if we make it a regular practice so that our mind is used to it.
• When I do both my physical and spiritual labor well, I find that I can rest more peacefully and securely.

With the Presidents Day weekend over, page 52 was the delayed start of my work week.  I had not paid any attention to the weather forecast beyond the information that it is supposed to be warm all week, so I was surprised to find it raining when I took the trash out after I did the morning cleaning.  While it was still dark and before I found out it was raining, I noticed movement outside through one of the windows.  As I looked closer to what was outside, I saw eight deer walk past the window before disappearing into the woods.  I had planned on working on some outside projects, but the weather decided a change in plans was in order.  

That was okay because my first order of business after the building was ready for the day was to work on the prayer guide for next week.  As I spent time with God, a song that has taken up residence in my mind on a regular basis recently, reappeared to get my attention.  The song is “Thank You” by Ray Boltz and at various times in the last few weeks different lines from the song have become lodged in my mind.  Today the line that has stuck in my mind came from near the end of the song, “My child, look around you.  Great is your reward.”   We tend to be a reward driven society — at least I tend to be drawn in that direction — but the good news is that God says the reward for those who pursue and remain in relationship with Him is great!  We often miss that fact because our idea of reward can be very different, and very inferior, to the reward God wants us to receive.  The message of the song is that the people we have served in the name of Jesus that are in heaven in part because of our willingness to share, are part of our great reward.

As I let the words of the song simmer in my mind while I prayed, the idea of great rewards began to form as the basis for the next prayer guide.  God says that there is great reward to be found in the keeping of His commands and ordinances.  Fortunately, He has given us all of the tools and resources necessary for us to be equipped to obey His word and receive the benefits that come to those who remain in a faithful relationship with Him.  As I worked on prayerfully writing out the prayer guide, a number of birds filled the brush looking for food.  The light rain didn’t stop them from enjoying a meal and singing some beautiful songs of praise.  Today’s photo is of one of those birds perched atop a sumac seed head, almost appearing to pose for the photo opportunity.  The birds of the air are taken care of by God and experience a great reward as they trust Him to supply what they need.  Will you and I experience a greater reward as we trust God to not only supply our daily needs, but more importantly, to supply our eternal need?

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

• While the weather, and many other things, may surprise me, none of it surprises God.
• “Listening” to our senses will help us see many things that would otherwise go unnoticed.
• It is easy to feel unappreciated, unnoticed, or unimportant when we measure success by the world’s standards.
• When we pursue, and attain, success by God’s standards, being in relationship with Him is our great reward.
• What we do matters.  Why we do what we do matters even more.
• Many people have difficulty trusting God because they’ve not been able to trust people.  I guess I’m odd, I find myself trusting God more when I encounter situations where the trust of people has failed.
• We all struggle with understanding the true difference between need and wants.  God’s  eternal perspective knows exactly what we need and when we want whatever He offers, we find that we receive the desires of our heart.

Page 51 wrapped up a three day weekend adventure with my family as the school and preschool had today off for Presidents Day.  We began the day at Turkey Run State Park and then made our way via a covered bridge stop to Cataract Falls at the Lieber State Recreation Area.  This was a beautiful stop as it contains the largest waterfall by volume in Indiana, as well as a covered bridge close enough to the falls to get them both in a photo.  After time spent shooting photos there, we headed down to McCormick’s Creek State Park for lunch and some photos of the waterfall in the park.  Eventually it was time to head home but not without a few more covered bridge stops on our way.  As the sun began to set on the day, and on our weekend adventure, we arrived at Adams Mill where we took some photos of the mill, the mill grounds, and a covered bridge crossing the creek the mill is powered by.  Today’s photo seemed fitting for the Presidents Day page as the mill’s founder, John Adams, shared a name with an early US president.

With three stops at state recreational properties today, it should be clear that we enjoy the state park and recreational system throughout Indiana.  I know people who believe that no public funding should be used for “non-essential” services such as parks and recreation property.  I would guess that such people have never made use of these properties in a way that shows them to be essential to them as they are to so many.  For me to visit so many different parks and find unique beauty within each of them, I am thankful that each element of natural beauty has been preserved so they are not destroyed by commercialization or simple “progress”.  Yes, there needs to be a balance and wasteful spending is never appropriate whether it is done by a government entity, or by you and I.  How we choose to use our resources, and what we support the use of public funds to be used for, says a lot about how we view ourselves, others, and even God.

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

• The urgent will always want done and often clamors for your attention while the important always needs done but rarely demands that you give it the priority it deserves — you must make that choice.
• Because life is but a series of moments strung together with little or no warning as to which moment is the last, it would do us well to make the most of the moment we currently live in.
• While patience is a part of the fruit of God’s Spirit, it seems to be a lost part . . . or God’s Spirit isn’t as active in the lives of people as it ought to be.
• I lost track of  how many people pulled out in front of me today causing me to slow down, sometimes drastically, to avoid hitting them.  While it is easy to say they need to learn patience, I found that I quickly lost patience with them for inconveniencing me — perhaps patience needs worked on all around.
• God has always called His people to look out for the good of our fellow man even if doing so doesn’t directly benefit us.
• Wisdom and generosity are important characteristics that need to work together as we serve others.

Page 50 began early as my body continues to battle the cold and sinus problems that have taken hold.  Instead of sleeping in, I was up at the usual early morning time of a workday.  I used the quiet of the early morning hours to write yesterday’s page before going back to bed and getting some more sleep.  When I finally woke up for the day for real, we headed out to spend the day together as a family.  There is something uniquely special about spending a day of worship in the beauty of God’s creation with your family.  While it is good and important to gather with a church family on a regular basis, there are times when it is better not to share with them the seeds of sickness that others really don’t need.  

The first part of today’s adventure was a two and a half mile hike that Susan walked almost all of — there was a short stretch of muddy canyon that she rode on my back.  It has been a long time since Susan has walked that much all at once so we took it slow and stopped often so she could rest.  Needless to say, she was worn out by the time we finished the hike but after a dose of cure-all Dr Pepper, she kept talking about how much fun she had. 🙂  For many people, one of the most difficult tasks in life is to slow down and take life at a pace required by someone else.  While it is often a subtle thing that most people don’t give much thought to, we often have a tendency to look out for our own needs and desires while disregarding those around us.  It’s not that we are necessarily opposed to what they need, we just don’t often think about what others need when our mind is focused on our self.  

After our hike, we had lunch and then set out to photograph some more covered bridges.  Two of our stops not only had a covered bridge, but there was a waterfall (even if it was man-made by a dam) and a mill at them as well.  Today’s photo is of the Bridgeton bridge and mill with the water flowing over the dam in front of them.  Each is a piece of history that can be seen and experienced.  While the bridge no longer carries vehicle traffic over it, the mill continues to function and is the oldest mill in continuous operation west of the Allegheny Mountains.  For something to last that long and to continue to remain in use, is almost unheard of in our day and age and doesn’t take place by accident.  Great care and continued maintenance goes into the longevity of anything and this bridge and mill have had their share of both.  

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

• Airflow is important to breathing, which is important to living.
• Sometimes when I can’t sleep, it is better to get something productive done until I can go back to sleep.
• Worshiping in a different way on occasion doesn’t mean you’ve abandoned “traditional” worship as long as it’s still the same God that is being worshiped.  Sometimes it is better for the health of others not to share what you have.
• It takes effort to consider the needs of others above our own but the reward is worth it.
• This adventure of life is a journey, not a race.  It would be best if we can journey together.
• Hard work, continual maintenance, and dedication are required to keep doing anything, even good things, over a long period of time.  
• The true reward to the Christian life is given to those how persevere and remain faithful until the end.

Page 49 was a family day spent sightseeing and taking photographs.  My spring cold/sinus crud makes me wear down much more quickly than usual, so the writing of this page is being written the following morning as my mind was too tired to do so last night.  Our first stop was at France Park in Logansport, Indiana because I had read about a waterfall there that should be worth photographing — at least for Indiana standards. 🙂  Today’s photo is of that waterfall as it met expectations, and even more.  In addition to the waterfall, what appears to be the park’s centerpiece is an old limestone quarry filled with water and various trails around it and through the park.  After photographing the waterfall, we took a trail around the perimeter of the quarry and was able to view the vibrant blues and greens of the water from the edge of a cliff overlooking the lake.  

We’ve been through Logansport many times on our way to various parks and sightseeing adventures, but this was our first stop here.  I am always amazed at how much natural beauty goes by unnoticed for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes we’re not paying attention to it and we walk/drive right by.  Other times we simply haven’t heard that it even exists.  And then there are the times we have looked but didn’t have good information, or failed to follow the instructions given.  It kind of sounds similar to some of the reasons so many miss out on the beauty of God’s love.  Many people are simply living life day to day and moment to moment at such a pace that they never stop to look around and notice the presence of God’s love that could be theirs.  Other people simply haven’t heard, or at least haven’t heard in a believable manner, that God is real and He loves them.  Then there are those who are searching but either don’t know where to start or are following bad information — or simply ignoring the instruction given because they don’t like it.

Many times people will see photographs I have shared and ask where they were taken and how they can get there.  One of the reasons I like taking photos is because it gives me the opportunity to share some of God’s beauty and some of His story.  It would do all of us well to be intentional about living our life and sharing it in such a way that people ask where we got what we have and how they can get it.  Just as important as living and sharing, is “to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within you.”  When the people around you see that God’s love exists, and hear from you in a believable way about its presence in your life, it is important to give them accurate information about how they too can be in relationship with the living God.

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

• Schedules are great but there are times our mind and body says, “That’s enough for today.”  We would do well to listen to them as much as possible.
• Hearing about something and experiencing it are two different things.
• There is great value to be found in the old adage that we need to “stop and smell the roses” from time to time.
• If you’ve ever had someone share about a place in a way that convinced you that you “just have to go there”, then you have a glimpse into how you ought to be sharing about your relationship with God.
• Looking for something in a place where it is not can be quite frustrating and discouraging.  We must be careful to “seek the Lord while (and where) He may be found” and to do so according to the instructions given in His Word.
• Your life ought to be lived in such a way that people see a hope in you that is desirable enough that they ask about it.  Then be ready with an answer.

Page 48 has been a full day and I’m trying hard not to get the sinus crud that seems to be going around in my family.  As I did the morning cleaning and took the first load of trash out, the eastern sky was lit up in a brilliant variety of red and pink shades.  It was still twenty minutes before the official sunrise time so I grabbed my cameras and set one up to time-lapse photograph the sunrise and took some still shots with my other camera.  However, instead of the sun coming up and adding to the color and brilliance of the morning sky, the clouds kept stacking up.  And instead of the sunrise I was expecting, the colors quickly faded to a drab gray.  My time-lapse video ended up with a very brief amount of color at the beginning and then a quick change to clouds and gray skies.  While a little disappointed, I was glad I noticed the brief window of time to catch the incredible beauty while it lasted.

After finishing up the cleaning and building prep, I did some work in the office and caught up on messages in my email inbox and on my social media accounts.  As I worked, I noticed the clouds had kept moving by and the sky was not mostly clear and sunny but the birds had not shown up in the brush outside my window.  As I stopped to look more closely, I noticed a new friend sunning herself at the edge of the woods.  All of a sudden it made sense as to why the birds had found somewhere else to go for food this morning.  Today’s photo is of my new friend as the sun poured down upon her and she was soaking it all in.  It made me think of satan roaming about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  We would do well to learn from the birds and flee from the presence of the enemy regardless of how pleasant and peaceful he may look.

I spent part of the morning with a friend and then went down to Potato Creek to spend some time with God in prayer.  Most of the time I go down there, I end up walking quite a few miles but today I found myself sitting more than walking as I took in all the sights and sounds that were around me as I prayed.  Doing so allowed me to see a greater variety of birds than the few I would typically notice while on a hike.  I think sometimes we all need a little change of pace to help us maintain purpose and meaning in what we do.

Late afternoon and evening was spent back at work as I got the building cleaned and ready for Sunday.  It looked like the sunset rivaled the beauty of the early part of the sunrise but I was focused on getting my work done and trying to get home well before midnight so I didn’t stop to take any photos.  

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

• When a moment is gone, it’s gone — the memory may remain but the moment will never return.  So, make the most of each moment while you can.
• In the current political debate about (you pick the subject), I have friends on either end of the discussion as well as some scattered in between.  All of them are convinced that Jesus is, or would be, on their side.  I wonder how much we would need to change if we were more concerned about being on His side than we are about Him being on our side.
• In what ways has satan been trying to devour you?  What do you need to flee from?
• Changing a good routine to something different every once in a while can be a good way to remember and keep meaning in our routines of life.
• Sometimes listening needs to be a more active part of our life.
• The instruction to “be still and know that He is God” ought to challenge each of us to greater stillness more often than it probably does.

After a long day and late night of work on Wednesday, page 47 has been a day of rest.  That meant I was able to sleep in and Susan was able to sleep in even longer.  When I got up I spent some time going through more of the photos I took Sunday during our trip to Lake Michigan.  The ones I went through and shared today included several that were of people in, and on, the water surfing and kite-surfing.  While the air temperature was above freezing while we were there, the water was still filled with chunks of ice as the water temperature couldn’t be much above freezing.  It made me think of the commitment to the sport on the part of those in the water.  What is it that you and I are committed to at that level, if anything?  Does my time with God in His Word, in prayer, and in listening take place no matter what?  Do I overcome what others may see as obstacles as I seek to live a Christ-like life in all things.

Susan eventually woke up and I helped her get ready for the day before firing up the pellet grill to make some bacon cheeseburgers for lunch.  After lunch the afternoon was spent relaxing, playing some video games, and looking at some vacation options for early summer.  While I didn’t find anything definite, it was fun on a cold day to consider the features of a warmer season and climate.  As the day winds down with little accomplished other than rest, it is clear that was enough.  Today’s photo is one from yesterday’s brief trip to Potato Creek.  The wind coming off the lake was extremely cold, but the beauty of the sky was as breathtaking as the cold wind. 

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

• Even on a day off, I was up at 5:30 AM which is my usual workday wake-up time.  While I went back to sleep rather quickly, it shows the value of building good routines and habits.
• It is easy to make excuses for why we don’t do the good we know we ought to.
• True commitment says that the excuses do not win.
• When it comes to commitment, legalism can be just as dangerous as laziness.  God looks at the heart.
• The same God that created good work for us to do, also designed us to need rest.
• Social media makes it far too easy to respond to people in ways we wouldn’t, and shouldn’t, do if we were standing face to face.
• We don’t have to respond to everything we see and hear . . . and probably shouldn’t.
• It is better to let God take our breath away with the beauty of His handiwork than to let the world take it away with the coldness of its breath.

I’ve reached the mid-point of the week, which is one of my long workdays, so I’m writing page 46 as I wait for the building to clear out so I can get the cleaning done in preparation for tomorrow.  After taking care of the early morning cleaning and retrieving a table that I had received a note about saying the legs had broken off, I spent time doing some of the prep work for the next set of daily devotions to continue the “Devotions For Those Who Serve” series I began last summer.  The topic I spent time mapping out and working on today was about serving with compassion.  There are many things that can change our serving for the better, but perhaps none so dramatically as developing genuine compassion for those we serve.  Most of us are pretty good at doing whatever we can to alleviate pain and suffering when we’re the one experiencing it.  When we begin to serve with compassion, we do so through a perspective that feels the pain and suffering of those we are serving.  Because we identify with their circumstances, they are no longer a statistic or project that we do simply because we ought to — instead we serve in a way that we would desire to receive because we identify with their difficulty.

There is no greater example of serving with compassion than that of Jesus.  He took on the frailty of human form to live as one of us and consistently showed compassion as He served.  Godly compassion, however, is not a free pass to excuse or accommodate wrong behavior.  While Jesus would extend compassion in offering forgiveness of sin, it was never offered in a manner that gave permission to continue in sin — not for those He served while He was on earth and not for us either.  To be like the compassion of Jesus, we must find ways to express our compassion for others so that they feel accepted and forgiven, yet also convicted to change any sinful ways.

By mid-afternoon, it was time for a break so I headed to lunch and then down to Potato Creek.  It was a cold afternoon and the wind blowing across the lake made it feel even colder.  Even the eagles were staying out of sight today so after a short hike I laid down on a fallen tree and rested a bit.  Today’s photo was taken from that resting spot as I looked up through the treetops and observed a small patch of blue sky in the midst of an otherwise cloudy afternoon.  As I was stretched out on that cold, hard log gazing heavenward, the words from the Ray Boltz song, “Thank You”, drifted through my mind — “I dreamed I went to heaven, and you were there with me. . . . ”  The moment took me back to my early childhood when I would have occasion every once in a while to stretch out on the lawn and gaze heavenward, imagining the day I would be “caught up in the clouds” with my Lord.  

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

• I suppose it is somehow appropriate that I get a maintenance request about legs being broken off of a table on the same day that I spend time with God working on devotions about serving with compassion.
• It is often easy to be judgmental when we don’t consider an actual person, or our self, when we speak out about sin.
• Godly compassion will drive us to not only care for the immediate needs of people, but to also care about the eternal suffering they would experience outside of Christ.
• Compassion is what makes “love the sinner but not the sin” possible and believable.  Without compassion, the “sinner” feels no love from us no matter what we say.
• Learning to have compassion for others begins by learning to accept the compassion God has for us.
• I thought today about how difficult life is when you are not understood . . . compassion not only says I understand, but says, “I get it.”
• Some of my earliest memories are of a longing for heaven and of imagining walking on the clouds.
• Who will be in heaven with me because I’ve shared Jesus with them?  There is only one way.