Page 13 began in the typical Friday fashion with the cleaning and building prep necessary for the start of the school day.  The outside temperature remained below freezing, so yesterday’s freezing rain continued to cling to the tree branches with an appearance of glittering diamonds once the sun came out this morning.  While I was off work yesterday the first shipment of books for the upcoming camp conference arrived, so I spent time this morning making sure they were printed as expected.  After confirming that the boxes of books were what I had ordered, I finished up some of the travel arrangements for the conference and then worked on some of the ongoing writing projects that I have in process.  As I worked, the birds began to make their way from the depths of the woods to the outer edges where they were much more noticeable so I grabbed my camera and began to shoot some of the different birds that stopped by.  I had my usual collection of cardinals, robins, and finches as well as an occasional blue jay this morning and then about a half dozen bluebirds arrived for a short time period.  The bluebirds seemed fascinated with a dead tree that the woodpeckers had filled with holes.  Today’s photo is of a bluebird checking out one of the holes while another bluebird waited its turn.

While the day started out fairly typical for a Friday, I knew it was not going to stay that way so by early afternoon I headed home to eat some lunch and then take my family to Potato Creek for an afternoon walk.  After the 3 1/2 mile walk, it was back home to get ready to head to a ball game at the high school MJ and I graduated from back in 1981.  I was thinking I may not have been back to the school since graduation, but then realized I had not only gone to a few events to support students when I was doing youth ministry in Etna Green, but the high school was also where we went to vote when we lived in Bourbon so it has only been 16 years or so since I was last in the building. 🙂  I don’t follow sports of any level very much, so to head to a high school gym for a basketball game just doesn’t happen.  But tonight was different.  Tonight as a double-header of the girls and boys varsity teams playing in what was designated as “Ball Like Bre” memorial games.  The money raised at the game and through t-shirt sales prior to the game was presented to my brother and his family for the Breanna Lemler Scholarship Fund.  It was good to be there in support of my family and in memory of Bre, but there also ended up being some good basketball played with Triton winning both the girls and boys games.  While heading to the games means that I will have to do my Friday night cleaning some time tomorrow, it was well worth it.

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

• The desire for “more” often ends up causing us to have less.
• It is best to “do good” at the first opportunity you have rather than wait and discover that the first opportunity might have been the only opportunity.
• It is fun to watch the birds take turns and even more fascinating when I consider how difficult it can be to get people to take turns.
• For me, there isn’t much that can come close to being as relaxing as a long walk in the woods.
• Watching how God provides for the wildlife encourages me to trust His ability and desire to provide for me.
• Because everyone is a unique individual created by God, each of us face and deal with loss in our own way.  
• Going home isn’t always easy but there are times when home is where we’re supposed to be.

Page 12 began with my going to bed shortly after midnight following a late workday on Wednesday.  It seemed like I had barely fallen asleep when I was awakened by the sound of Susan having a seizure.  After sitting up with her until the seizure had passed and she was ready to go back to sleep, I headed back to bed only to be awakened some time later by round two.  The winter thunderstorms rolling through outside seemed to have their own version rolling through Susan’s brain and body.  After round two for the night was over, we went back to sleep until I was awakened by a phone call around 9 AM.  As I was on the phone, Susan sat up in bed all smiley and happy like she had just had the best night’s sleep ever.  Somehow she gets through the seizures with no memories of them and often appears to be less worn out from the lack of sleep than MJ and I are.  

After helping Susan get ready for the day and getting breakfast for her, I spent much of the morning working on details for my upcoming trip to the Christian Camp Leaders Conference.  By late morning I pulled out the pellet grill and got it going to make bacon cheeseburgers for lunch.  Throughout the early morning hours the temperature had fallen so the rain was freezing onto most exposed surfaces.  As lunch cooked on the grill, I grabbed my camera and tried my hand at shooting some of the ice-covered scenes.  Today’s photo is of one of the few maple leaves still clinging to the tree in our back yard.  As the rain ran down its surface and off the edges, the water would freeze as if teardrops mourning the loss of life.  Yet within this ongoing process there is a beauty that reflects a portion of its creator.

After lunch I spent the afternoon resting in a fashion while trying not to rest to the point I wouldn’t sleep tonight.  Last night’s late start and interrupted sleep was catching up with me but I knew I would need a good night’s sleep tonight in order to function at work tomorrow.  It is interesting, because I had given very serious thought yesterday of just coming home from work after the mid-week classes and going in this morning.  It ended up being good for both Susan and me to go ahead and work late so I could stay with her this morning.

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

• Adrenaline can be a helpful thing when your body supplies it in an appropriate time in the proper level.  
• The influence of adrenaline takes longer to dissipate than it does to activate.
• For a person susceptible to anxiety/stress/panic attacks, multiple events in a short amount of time that produce increased adrenaline can be somewhat overwhelming.
• God knows what we need and desires to give it to us even when we are confused about what our real needs are.
• God is not limited in what He can use to display His beauty and creativity.  He often uses things such as dead leaves and inconvenient weather to show He can make beauty out of whatever He desires — including you and me.
• After a conversation the other night, I thought today about some of the physical scars that I carry on my body.  Each one is a reminder of an injury that has healed but even in the healing the reminders of what happened never leave me.

With Christmas break over and a return to a more regular routine, page 11 brings back the long mid-week workday.  The day began at 6 in the morning and I’m writing this as I wait for the building to clear out after our Wednesday evening Bible studies so I can do the cleaning for tomorrow.  The staying late is my choice, though, because that means I don’t have to wake up early tomorrow.  The day began with the typical cleaning, taking out the trash, and getting the building ready before the start of the school day.  When that was done, I continued my work from yesterday of getting annual reports completed for the Deer Run missions and for Impact Prayer Ministry.  I also spent some time working on options for using some of my photos as wall art for conference door prize drawings.  As i worked, a squirrel stood in the grass outside my office window seeming to be begging for food.  He didn’t seem to like my movement and by the time I had my camera out he had headed for the nearest tree where he found a good spot from which to keep an eye on me.

With my next prayer ministry representation coming up soon and scheduled for Gatlinburg, I needed to make sure the fires that swept through the area last fall hadn’t disrupted the scheduled plans.  The publicly posted information was somewhat confusing to me as it still included a letter from the conference planners about the possibility of not being able to have it at the originally scheduled location.  After checking with them and finding out everything is a go as planned, I turned my attention to filling out the paperwork to have displays at events in March and April.  Once those forms were ready, it was time to grab a late lunch and drop them in the mail.  While I was out, I picked up some supplies in case I needed to teach a children’s class tonight and then made my way back to work to finish up the day.  I didn’t think I was scheduled to teach tonight but had forgotten to confirm that, so it was better to be ready than not.  🙂

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

• Routine as a concept is neutral.  If it’s a good routine, it is good.  If it is a bad routine, it is bad.
• Good routines, or habits, develop good character.  Godly routines, or habits, develop godly character.  There is a difference between good and godly.
• Most of us are willing to settle for our version of good while God desires that we pursue godliness with contentment.
• Every Christian has a part in the sharing of the gospel.  How are you and I doing in faithfully fulfilling our God-given role?
• Sometimes I’m sure my attention to detail is a blessing and sometimes I’m sure it is a curse.  I worry at times about what those who I end up bugging about confirmation of the details think.
• It is difficult to have a big picture, detail oriented mind when so few want to know all the things that they are not even considering will happen as a result of their decisions.
• Faithfulness to God is perhaps the highest calling we could attain to and should radically influence the way we do every detail of life.

It snowed overnight so page 10 began with the early morning clearing of the sidewalks at work.  The temperature was just above freezing and it had begun to drizzle so clearing the light coating of snow had more to do with keeping the soon to be made slush from being tracked into the building.  Once the outside work was done, it was time to head inside and take care of the cleaning and building prep for the day.  After the building was ready and the trash taken out, today was a day to pull out my “accounting hat” and work on year end reports for the church missions account and for Impact Prayer Ministry.  Each year as I look back on the work God has accomplished through the prayer ministry, I also look forward to what it might take if God were to make it possible for me to focus on the prayer ministry full time.  In 2016, God provided just over $10,000 which made it possible to provide prayer-based books, resources, and teaching at a variety of conferences and churches.  I know that is just a start to what God could do through Impact Prayer Ministry, so I continue to pray about His timing and provision and trust that He will continue to lead based on His perfect will and knowledge.  An estimated annual budget if God was to open up the windows of heaven and pour out the finances necessary to devote full-time work with Impact Prayer Ministry would be $50,000.  Until He makes it clear that it is time to do that, and provided the funds to do so, I am thankful for the work He provides for me at Deer Run that allows me to both earn a living and direct the prayer ministry.

As the work day continued, I did some inventory and ordered some janitorial supplies that are needed.  For some reason I was a day off, but I though today was my mom’s birthday so I called her to wish her a happy birthday and arranged to meet her and dad for dinner this evening.  Her birthday is actually tomorrow, which wouldn’t have worked as well to get together so I guess it was good that I had the date mixed up in my mind. 🙂

The wind was blowing mighty fierce through most of the day, but there was a brief time where the weather seemed pleasant and the birds showed up outside my office window to continue the work of harvesting the berries.  The bright red of the male cardinal is easily noticeable and I end up with a lot of photos of them, but I have to look closely to see the females that have also shown up for food.  Today’s photo is of a female cardinal that appears to have a nearly perfect camouflage for hiding in the brush among the berries.  It made me think about the way people sometimes try to live the Christian life.  There are times when we will stand out and be known as Christians.  In those times, it is important that we truly stand out for being Christ-like rather than standing out for being hateful, or angry, or vengeful, or anything but Christ.  There are other times when we will likely feel we are nearly invisible.  It is then that we must ask if that is so because we are being “all things to all people in order to win some”, or if it is because we have hidden our light under a covering.  

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

• A thin layer of heavy, wet snow is takes more work to clear than a deeper layer of light, fluffy snow.
• Sometimes you can let a problem take care of itself, but other times doing so will just cause you more work somewhere else.
• It is okay to think, and dream, and plan as long as you’re okay with God directing what actually happens.
• I have a greater level of contentment when I realize that my thoughts, dreams, and plans don’t have to become reality in order to fulfill God’s thoughts, dreams, and plans.
• God has given me a great family and it is a blessing to still be able to enjoy a meal with my mom and dad.
• Godly wisdom helps us to represent Christ in the way that is most appropriate for whatever situation we are in.

Christmas break is finally over, so page 9 meant it was back to the routine of rising early for work.  With no fresh snow since yesterday, all of my early morning work was inside today as I cleaned bathrooms and hallways and prepped the building for the day.  As I finished up the cleaning, students were beginning to arrive for the day so it was time to sit with God and work on the prayer guide for next week.  

Last week I began some writing based around a verse out of Jeremiah where God says, “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”  Unfortunately, the response of the people given in the next line says, “We will not walk in it.”  As I spent time with God this morning, He drew me back to this verse and the promised result if we would “walk in it” — rest for our soul.  It is interesting to me that Jesus used this same phrase, “find rest for your souls”, in regard to our taking His yoke upon us.  As those two passages filled my prayer time, the idea for a prayer guide focused on “soul rest” came about.  The rest of the morning was spent with God breaking down the Jeremiah 6:16 verse into daily prayer points and then writing “prayer starters” for each day.  Once it was written, I spent time formatting it and scheduled it to be published Sunday on both the resources section of my website and the weekly prayer guide email that I send out.

After the prayer guide work was done for next week, I placed an order for the books I will need for the upcoming camp leaders conference.  Last fall’s International Conference on Missions had depleted nearly all of my book inventory, so I needed to order copies of each of the eight Impact Prayer Ministry titles I have written.  So, about twenty-four hundred dollars later I have eight hundred books that should be on their way soon.  I pray that God continues to provide the resources to put these into the hands of people who will use them.  Today’s order should cover a camp leaders conference later in January with at least some left for a different camp conference in March.

Today’s photo is from yesterday’s trip to the beach in St Joseph, Michigan.  It reminds me of the beauty that can be found through perseverance and endurance.  The frigid temperature made being outside unappealing to many, but as a photographer the chance to capture some beautiful winter photos was worth it.  While unappealing to many, the reward of rest for my soul makes walking in the “ancient paths” and “old ways” worth the effort that it takes.

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

• Returning to an early morning routine after two weeks of not having to be at work early can be tough.  
• Good routines can be as beneficial as bad routines are harmful.
• Rest for the soul sounds like it should be more desirable than what it apparently is.
• While we may not be so bold to say we will not walk in God’s ways, do our actions say that we will?
• The “ancient paths” and “old ways” are always good things when they are God’s ways.
• Most of us don’t like the idea of being “under the yoke” of anyone or anything even though we probably are.
• In spite of what the world may say, rest for our soul is worth whatever effort it takes to walk in God’s ways and take His yoke upon us.
• Obedience to God can be costly but it has rewards greater than we can imagine.

As I begin the second week of 2017, page 8 was a Sunday that began early as fresh snow had fallen overnight and it needed cleared from the walks before church services.  This was the light, fluffy lake effect snow so I turned the backpack leaf blower into a backpack snow blower to start the day. 🙂  The snow continued to fall through mid-morning so I ended up clearing all the walks at work twice before the start of the Sunday School hour and then again as people began arriving for the church worship service.  While the primary purpose probably has a lot to do with safety and keeping the sidewalks from becoming slippery, the practical result of keeping the snow cleared as much as possible is that less of it is tracked in meaning less effort needed to clean floors. 

During the worship gathering, David continued a sermon series from the book of Luke as he preached from the message of John the Baptist — “Repent!”  Not only did the sermon continue the series that began with the Christmas sermons, it also was a good expansion of the “praying with repentance” point from the sermon I shared last week.  As foretold by the prophets, the purpose of John’s preaching was to prepare the way for the coming of the Christ.  A primary theme of John’s preaching is one we must heed, not only when we prepared for Christ to come into our life when we first surrendered to Him, but also each day we live as we prepare for His second coming. 

Preparing the way for Christ in our life requires honesty.  The Bible says that godly sorrow leads to repentance.  In my mind at least, that would mean that sorrow, even godly sorrow, is not the same thing as actual repentance.  Repentance requires that we are honest with God, and our self, about our sin.  It is easy to be general in seeking forgiveness “for the wrong that we’ve done”.  It is much more difficult to be honest in agreeing with God about the specific things that are sin in our life.

As we prepare the way for Christ in our life, we also must have humility.  True humility requires that we voluntarily lower ourselves to a position of complete surrender to God.  Many times we hear that requirement and we immediately think of humiliation rather than humility.  God has no desire to humiliate us or to see us humiliated.  Rather He desires that we follow the example of Jesus, “who humbled Himself and became obedient . . . “.  It is this type of voluntary humility that leads us to the repentance that God desires for us to have.

The defining point of true repentance as we prepare the way for Christ in our life, is to actually change!  The old saying that “talk is cheap” is true when it comes to the subject of repentance.  Talking about changing isn’t the same as changing.  Talking about what went wrong isn’t the same as changing.  Talking about your good intentions isn’t the same as changing.  Talking about good deeds of the past isn’t the same as changing.  Changing is the same as changing!  As you spend time with God honestly evaluating your entire life in complete humility, I believe there will always be changes that He desires from you as you turn to Him in repentance.  For most of us, actually more like all of us, the question isn’t “do I have anything I need to repent of?” but rather “what changes do I need to make today as a part of genuine repentance?”

Following the worship gathering, I had lunch with my family and some time to relax before we decided to head to the beach for the evening to try to catch some sunset photos.  Today’s photo was taken from the ice-covered pier at St. Joseph, Michigan.  It was a beautiful finish to the day with a great reminder of the creativity of God and His willingness to share His beauty with us.

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

• Snow can be beautiful but unfortunately we tend to evaluate the beauty of things (and people) based not on their inherent beauty but on how they make us feel or how much work they require from us.
• Most of us tend to miss more beauty than what we see simply because we’ve not adjusted our eyes and mind to notice it.
• We often like the idea of repentance when it applies to everyone else . . . not so much when we need to.
• It is much easier to ask people to pray for a desired outcome than it is to admit we’ve brought problems upon ourselves that require us to change before we can experience a different outcome.
• A history of good work is not the same as doing good work.
• God can make great beauty out of some sunshine, water, and bitter cold temperatures — imagine what He can make out of you. 

Page 7 was the first Saturday of 2017 and winter has settled in with some very cold temperatures.  After months of not sleeping well, I woke up this morning surprised that it was actually morning and I had evidently slept through the night.  Rather than actually getting up though, I went back to sleep and slept in later than I have in a very long time.  It felt good to wake up rested and begin a relaxing day with my family.  What was left of the morning was spent at my computer going through email and social media posts, as well as playing a few computer games.  

By mid-afternoon, the air temperature had finally made it into double digits so even with wind chills at zero or below, we headed out to Lake Michigan to shoot some photos. 🙂  Our first stop was Washington Park in Michigan City, Indiana where we spent time on the beach photographing the lighthouse and ice-covered shoreline.  When we arrived, the sky was filled with thick cloud cover and the frozen landscape under the overcast sky contained a beauty could only be seen under such conditions.  It wan’t long though, until the clouds began to break up and the sun began to shine through with patches of blue sky behind it.  Today’s photo was taken during that process as the beams of sunlight began to flow around the edges of the clouds over a snow-dusted sand dune.  

After some time out in the bitter cold, we got back in the truck to warm up as we made our way along the lakefront toward New Buffalo, Michigan.  We drove by many lakefront homes and through neighborhoods that appeared to primarily be summer residences.  On our way, a deer crossed the road in front of us and joined some of her friends who were already enjoying the landscape shrubs at one of the homes.  The sun was beginning to set when we arrived in New Buffalo, so we bundled back up and went out into the cold to take some more photographs.  Through all of it, Susan stayed in the truck to keep warm and seemed content to just ride along and enjoy the afternoon as a family.  When we got home and was ready to eat, Susan prayed before the meal and thanked God for the “fun day” and specifically mentioned she had fun at the beach. 🙂  She is such a good person and brings so much joy to us and everyone who knows her.  It makes me feel good to hear her pray and be thankful for a fun day.

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

• Sometimes our body and mind gives us clear signals that we need rest.  It is a good idea to listen to those signals.
• The value of family time is easily underestimated, but never overestimated.
• God’s desire is to make Himself known to His children.  If we seek Him, we will find Him when we seek Him with our whole heart.
• The creativity and wonder of God can be found in the bitter cold, as well as in the extreme heat and any weather in between.
• Gratitude is an attractive quality in any person.
• A person’s limited physical and/or mental ability in no way limits their ability to be used greatly by God. 

Page 6 began in the usual way, at least for a Christmas break workday.  With today being the final day of the school and preschool’s Christmas break, I didn’t have to be to work extremely early so I left home around 7 AM to begin my workday.  We’re in a cold snap here with the air temperature barely above zero and the wind chill well below, so I began my day at work checking on the boilers and heating system.  Once I had made the rounds through the building, I sat down at my desk to format and schedule next week’s prayer guide to be posted and sent out on Sunday.  I had written it early in the week but realized today that I hadn’t finished getting it ready to be sent out.    When that was complete, I began work on some writing projects I believe God is putting before me.  I spent time jotting down ideas as they would roll through my head and they will become concepts to spend time meditating and praying about as I consider what God would have the outcome be.  

As I worked, the sun fought its way across the frozen sky and the brush outside my office window soon filled with a variety of birds.  Today’s photo is of a cardinal sitting out in the below zero wind chills with its dander all fluffed up as he enjoyed a freshly frozen berry.  I bundled up in layers and was uncomfortably cold inside the truck as I drove into work this morning and here was this cardinal fluffing up his layers and calmly enjoying an outdoor snack.  

By the middle part of the afternoon I began to transition from writing mode to cleaning mode as I needed to get the building ready for Sunday.  In the midst of closing up my writing files, I noticed an online posting about a shooting at the airport in Fort Lauderdale.  In that early post there was a link to the Broward County emergency scanner feed.  While the news postings indicated a lone shooter who was in custody, the scanner communication indicated a chaotic scene that was filled with people I felt compelled to pray for.  Even after national reports of the suspect in custody, calls were coming in on the scanner from officers reporting “shots fired” throughout the airport complex.  Many of the calls were coming from officers who sounded like they were running and somewhat short of breath with sounds of what could at least pass as gunfire in the background.  None of the official reports I have seen this evening indicate there was anything beyond the one gunman in a single terminal, but hearing the tension in the voices of law enforcement officers responding to reports of gunfire drew me to an afternoon of listening to the scanner traffic and praying for all of those responding to the situation and the volatility that it presented.  In addition to praying for those who were willingly heading into an environment that had already become deadly, I also spent time praying for families and individuals who were caught up in an atmosphere that quickly changed from one of travel to one of fear and chaos.  I prayed for those injured and for those who watched as others died.  I prayed for courage for those all over our country who have answered the call to serve and protect and do so regardless of the risks.

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

• The same God that created the cardinal with the ability to survive outside in sub-zero temperatures, created mankind with the intelligence to design and build various means of producing warmth and shelter.
• Chaos often breeds more chaos.
• The difference between life and death is probably a finer line than most of us ever seriously consider.
• There are people around us every day who serve in law enforcement, fire & rescue squads, medical response teams, and other occupations where they willingly walk into dangerous situations to serve others.  They need and deserve our respect, support, and prayers every day.
• As Christians, we have a message of grace and hope that needs to be heard in places that we will likely find uncomfortable and even dangerous.  What will we do?