Saturdays are part of what makes my Fridays more enjoyable than they often appear like they should be.  I shot today’s photo along Lake Michigan this afternoon and it makes me think about perspective.  Sometimes it is so easy to see what is right in front of you that you miss what is beyond it.  Other times we tend to focus so much out in the distance that we pay no attention to the things that are at our feet.  It is probably best if we can approach life with a balance that pays attention to where we are while keeping an eye forward as we take in a larger picture than just today.  While my Friday night prayer, cleaning, and building prep routine is always done with an eye looking forward to Sunday, I don’t know that I often think about the intermediate view — how finishing up on Friday, no matter how long it takes, frees up my Saturday to rest and spend time with my family.

I was able to sleep in and get some extra rest to start the day, but once I was awake the first item on the agenda was firing up the pellet grill to get some pulled pork started.  As I was getting ready to start it, my wife came home and said her spring/summer market days were over.  So, our Saturday afternoon was expanded to most of the day being a family day with nothing planned.  It was a fairly nice looking day outside, so we packed up our cameras and headed out for a family adventure.  Our day included a hike at Potato Creek, a stop to photograph the trains at the Hesston Steam Museum, and several stops along Lake Michigan.  It is always a highlight when we’re wrapping up a day’s adventure and Susan tells us she had a fun day.  She is usually a pretty good traveler and puts up with all of our photo stops as long as we keep her fed and include a Dr Pepper along the way. 🙂  As we finished up our last stop before heading home, she said she was having a fun day, so I guess that made it unanimous.  

When we got home, there was time to go through the photos from the day before taking the pork off the pellet grill.  After cooking all day, the pork was ready to just fall apart when I finally took it off the grill.  I let it cool long enough to handle, then pulled it apart and filled up a crock pot for tomorrow’s lunch.  It has taken me a while, but I’ve finally learned to let it take however long it needs to cook in order to reach the proper internal temperature.  While the meat is technically “done” earlier, it won’t fall apart with melt-in-your-mouth tenderness if I take it off the grill early.  I think sometimes in life we tend to get impatient and cut corners, then wonder why things didn’t turn out quite as well as we had hoped.  

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

• There is usually a bigger picture in life than what we first notice.
• What we tend to focus on is probably just a small part of the bigger picture.
• Often our sole responsibility is to focus on the small part that is ours to do, but we need to do that with an awareness of the bigger picture our part fits into.
• Unplanned adventures can be fun if taken with the people you love while doing the things you enjoy together.
• There are probably a variety of places near you that would be enjoyable family adventure spots — sometimes you just have to take the time to figure out what you enjoy doing together.
• Cutting corners may save time, but it rarely gives optimum results.

Page 279 has been a rainy, dreary day.  Today’s photo was actually taken late last night before I went to bed as I had waited to see if the full moon would break free of the clouds in the eastern sky before it was overtaken by the expanding rain clouds of the west.  I did manage to catch a brief gap between the major clouds before I called it a night and got some sleep.  

The rain began overnight and continued as I drove to work early this morning.  There is usually a freshness in the air during a good rain, but this morning it was not raining heavy enough to clean the air — in fact, the heaviness of the air and wind direction combined to welcome me to work with the smell of dog food in the air from the factory a mile or so away.  It is not often that smell reaches my workplace, but I don’t find it pleasant when it does.  It is interesting how certain conditions create specific stimuli that catch the attention of one or more of our senses.  The vast majority of circumstances may remain constant, but one or two variables make all the difference.  I suspect there is a lesson in there about why we react in certain ways sometimes and different ways other times when there are only small differences in the surrounding circumstances.

My morning consisted of the usual prayer, cleaning, and building prep tasks along with taking care of a variety of small maintenance tasks.  As I went about my work, my mind continued to refine and simmer the sermon content for Sunday.  Once early afternoon rolled around, we ran a fire drill in the building.  The idea, as with any drill or practice, is to become accustomed to what needs done in a particular situation so that if it occurs for real, there is a natural response based on previous practices.  In a lot of ways, that is a big part of the concept behind the teaching I do focused on developing a lifestyle of prayer.  When we live a lifestyle of prayer, it is much easier to turn to God in all situations — even those that are extremely difficult.

After the fire drill, I needed to pick up some cleaning supplies so I took a break from the building for a couple hours.  While I was out, I stopped for a late lunch/early dinner combo and then came back to work to begin the Friday evening cleaning and prep to get the building ready for Sunday.  Something has put me on edge recently, so the empty building wasn’t so peaceful tonight.  It was a struggle to ward off the anxiety attacks as the normal noises of the building sounded extra loud as I went about my nighttime tasks.  My solution was a combination of living out that lifestyle of prayer and running through escape scenarios in my mind — I suspect the prayer was the much more reassuring choice between the two.  With the building ready, I sit and relax as I type out today’s page and prepare to share it.

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

• I enjoy photographing the moon and noticing the beauty that it contains whether viewed up close through a zoom lens or viewed simply by gazing at the night sky.
• Sometimes a heaviness of spirit can trap an unpleasant attitude within us from being cleansed away as it ought to be.
• Little things are important — they can be the difference between enjoying something and being repulsed by it.
• It is often the little irritants that I respond most drastically to and usually have little idea why I responded in the way I did.
• When we practice meditating on the Word of God, it refines our character.
• It is a good idea to be comfortable calling out to God when times are good so that it is a natural thing to do when times aren’t so good.

They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, but they sure look better in the bush where they belong.  Page 278 began with a welcoming party as a group of deer were waiting for me in the parking lot as I arrived at work.  After greeting them, I began the usual early morning prayer, cleaning, and building prep.  In addition to continued prayers for those suffering as a result of recent hurricanes and the Las Vegas shooting, I began to pray for the Growing Strong retreat participants that God will bring together for the November retreat.  While still not sure of who all that will be, God knows who I’m praying for even if I don’t.

Once the building was ready for the day, I turned my attention to further refining the sermon for Sunday.  As I continue a Living as the Lord’s Servant series, we’ll look at the example of Epaphroditus in the message, “Serving with HONOR”.  As I worked, I was visited by several cardinals playing in the brush outside my office window.  Today’s photo made me think of the old saying that I began today’s page with.  I understand the meaning behind it, but the photo made me stop and think about which really is more valuable — a bird captured or a bird where it belongs?  I suppose it depends on what it is you want.  If you’re talking about a chicken, or a game bird, or something that you plan to use to feed your family, the bird in the hand is probably of much greater value.  If it is the cardinals that visited me today, or the bald eagles I photograph at Potato Creek, or any number of other birds that I enjoy photographing — then I would have to say they are much more valuable in their natural habitat.

As I worked today, the thought kept crossing my mind that each of us is most valuable when we are in the habitat that God has created for us and called us into.  Too often we get caught up in the comparison trap and somehow think it we could just be like someone else — be in their position, have what they have, do what they do, etc — we would have a greater value.  It gets tough because people have been trained to place value on others based on a variety of criteria that has nothing to do with who they are and whether they are doing what God created them to do.  

After working on the sermon and taking care of some maintenance tasks, I made a quick stop at the Post Office before getting a late lunch on my way home.  After resting at home for a little while, I went outside to see what might catch my attention to photograph.  I think the last of the hummingbirds finally began their journey south as I  haven’t see any at work or at home for a few days now.  I did, however, find a beautiful butterfly making its way across the tops of the remaining flower blossoms so it became my model for the evening photo shoot.  

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

• Sometimes the things we say only have truthful meaning within certain contexts.
• Saying something often enough may make others believe it, but it doesn’t change whether it is actually true or not.
• When I pray about people participating in future events, God already knows who is considering being involved and what issues exist that cause them to wrestle with the decision.
• God not only wants us to serve, He wants us to do so with honor.
• Our greatest value is found within the center of God’s will.
• God has designed all the parts of His body so that each has value even though they each have different functions.
• When I begin to desire to be who or what someone else is, I shortchange the value God has already given me.

Page 277 has been a three season day.  It began with warm spring breeze bringing in a gentle rain.  Eventually that spring rain gave way to a thunderstorm which was followed by sunshine and summer-like temperatures.  As evening came, the wind had shifted direction and the cool rain of autumn began to fall.  I suppose there is still time before the day is finished for winter to arrive as well, but I am hoping that season stays away for a while yet.

As I went about my early morning tasks, the turmoil in this country and around the world continued to be a major part of my prayer focus.  It seems that nearly everyone is shouting so loudly about how right they are that they’ve all lost their voice — and there is no one left to listen even if a voice still existed within the maddening clamor.  We’re so busy shouting down each other that the still, small voice of God often goes unnoticed and unheeded.

Once the building was ready for the day, I put on my accounting hat and turned my attention to the record-keeping for the church missions.  That is always an enjoyable task as it keeps me connected with a variety of mission works around the world.  As I was reading through reports, Susan had a seizure so I spent some time protecting her and then comforting her as she eventually came out of it.  After she was through the seizure and resting, I went back to finishing up the work I was doing with the missions information.  

I eventually wrapped up the workday with some additional work on the retreat material before heading home for a late lunch.  As I relaxed at home I took my camera outside to take some more photos of the remaining fall flower blossoms while they were coated with raindrops.  Today’s photo is one of those and it can’t help but remind me of the song from The Sound of Music, where they sing about a “few of my favorite things”.  It is good to have favorite things that remind us of God’s goodness and faithfulness.  When times are difficult and turmoil seems prevalent everywhere you look, it is important to have reminders that draw us back to the peace we have in Christ.

As I began writing today’s page, I heard a loud thud from upstairs as Susan had another seizure and fell over in her bedroom.  I guess it shouldn’t be that surprising, as this is often the result of the weather changing multiple times throughout a day.  

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

• Change is often more tolerable when it is gradual, but that is not always possible.
• When change happens quickly, sometimes all you can do is hold on to something solid and wait for the calm to come.
• There is nothing more solid to hold onto than Jesus.
• When everyone believes they have the right answer, there is usually very little listening taking place.
• Shouting, whether with verbal or written words, will rarely lead to productive conversations.
• God is doing great work through people all around the world.
• The work of “missions” has many different faces and places.  One of those combinations is you and wherever you are.
• It is good to have some “favorite things” that remind us of God’s love for us.
• When we are seized by something beyond our control, it is important that we have someone who will hold onto us and carry us through.  Jesus does that by His Spirit and through people like you and I.

While the moon is nearly full, it is in a cycle where it rises early in the evening and sets earlier than I get up for work.  This means that it is fairly light out during most of the night, but after the moon sets the stars are shining brightly in the early morning hours.  My nights are still very restless for some reason, so I saw a lot of the moonlight during the night before getting up and heading to work.  

My early morning prayer, cleaning, and building prep time included a lot of prayer for the many people whose lives have been turned upside down by the attack in Las Vegas.  As I prayed, I continued to pray that the light of Jesus would shine brightly through His children in the mist of this terrible darkness.  I prayed for the courage to be the part of that light that I am meant to be.  I prayed that the people who make up the body of Christ would rise above the divisiveness that has permeated nearly every aspect of our nation — including the church.  

Once the building was ready for the day, I began a major undertaking — cleaning off my desk. 🙂  I tend to sort and stack things in piles on my desk as they come in and it isn’t long before the accumulation has completely overtaken my work space.  While appearing, and being, quite cluttered, I tend to know where everything is and can access what I’m looking for rather quickly.  I suspect that if I would get in the habit of putting things away and in files where they belong as they come in I would get used to finding them there, but now that I’ve put everything away it will be difficult for me to retrieve anything very quickly as I have to remember its new location.  While I didn’t get the desk completely cleared of everything, I made good progress and it looks much better even with a few things on it that I haven’t quite figured out where their rightful home should be. 

In addition to cleaning, I spent time working on some more of the Growing Strong retreat material and began to let the scripture text for Sunday’s sermon simmer in my mind.  As the workday ended, I stopped for a late lunch on the way home and then spent some time relaxing.  By evening, a light rain had begun to fall so I took my camera outside to photograph raindrops on roses . . . and other flowers.  As I wandered the front lawn, I found an out of season daylily blossom.  It made me think of Paul’s instruction to Timothy to “preach the Word.  To be ready “in season and out of season.”  This blossom may be out of its regular season, but it still proclaims the glory of God and the majesty of His creativity.

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

• For everything there is a season . . . sometimes the difficulty is figuring out what the current season is in life.
• When the light is bright, it is easy for it to overshadow the “smaller” lights that exist.
• God wants us to “shine like stars in the universe.”  That means that His light will always overpower ours, but our light will be brightest when our surroundings are darkest.
• There is much evil and darkness in our world today so we ought to be shining brightly as children of God.
• A piece of paper or two on a desk doesn’t seem like much, but if you add another piece or two every day it isn’t long until the desk surface cannot be found.  That’s kind of the way it is when we allow small pieces of compromise to set on our heart and mind each day.
• While we may get used to the clutter of compromise, and even start to think it is a better system for us than integrity, it will eventually overcome us and render us ineffective if we don’t deal with it completely.
• It doesn’t matter when you think the “season” of sharing about God is for you, He wants you to be ready at all times.

Page 275 began with a beautiful star-filled sky greeting me on my way out the door this morning.  It wasn’t long, however, until I began to hear and see reports of the horrific attack that took place in Las Vegas overnight.  While my day was a somewhat normal Monday, those directly affected by the shooting occupied much of my thoughts and prayer time throughout the day.  So instead of the normal rundown of my day and the lessons seen in it, today’s page is dedicated in prayer, and as a call to prayer, for the families mourning the loss of a loved one, those injured and in need of physical healing, those in shock and disbelief who need an emotional healing, and a nation that is in need of a spiritual healing before we decide that destroying one another is normal.  And so I post some words and a photo I shared earlier today and I ask each of you to “keep on praying and never give up.”

No words, or even prayers, seem adequate in response to the horrific attack in Las Vegas, but silence seems even more inadequate so I pray for those who mourn, for those who are injured and in need of healing, and for a people in shock and disbelief.

Page 274 was a good day — partly because it was Sunday, partly because I had the opportunity to preach this morning, and mostly because it is a day that the Lord has made!  Last night was a rather restless night as I think I’m trying not to come down with some bug or the other, or at least trying not to admit that I am.  While the night didn’t help a lot with sleep, I was able to run through the main points of my sermon many times throughout the night.  This morning’s sermon came about as I was working on a different sermon — the sermon I now plan to share next week.  As I was reading, I came across the text where Paul writes about Timothy serving with him as a son with his father.  It made me start thinking, both about how Timothy served and about how a child of God ought to serve with their Father.

In keeping with my style of preparation, the outline spelled out the word “CHILD” as we considered some lessons from Timothy’s life and how God would have us serve.  Here are the main points.  The child of God serves . . .

• Cheerfully
• Helpfully
• Intentionally
• Lovingly
• Decisively

After the worship gathering, the Sunday school class spent time discussing God’s calling of Abram, the faith of Abram to follow God, and our often-present battle with doubt.  We stopped for lunch on the way home then spent the early part of the afternoon relaxing.  I managed to take some flower and hummingbird photos from the front porch before we decided to drive down to Potato Creek for a family walk . . . and to see what photo opportunities we could find there.  The bald eagles weren’t at the area where we had normally seen them, but midway through our walk I could see two of the perched in a tree all the way on the other side of the lake.  I did manage to zoom in and get a few half-decent photos, but nothing like when I can set up the camera almost underneath them.  Today’s photo as taken as we looked out over the lake from along the trail.  The sun was still fairly high in the sky but the cloud cover gave an appearance similar to sunset.  I always find it peaceful when the clouds and sun are able to reflect off of a still body of water.  I suspect the degree of stillness that I am able to maintain in my life is a determining factor in how well I reflect the presence of God.

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

• Some days are easier than others to “rejoice and be glad in it”, but God wants us to do so every day.
• When one part of the body suffers, the rest of it has trouble sleeping. 🙂
• Restless nights are best spent with the One who can calm the troubled seas.
• “Serving as a son with his father” probably sounds different to a 9 year old, a 19 year old, and a 90 year old.
• Some of my best childhood memories are of working with my dad.
• God’s child will serve cheerfully as we know we are serving the Lord.
• God’s child will serve helpfully as we live out our calling to help those in need.
• God’s child will serve intentionally as we set aside good intentions for real intention.
• God’s child will serve lovingly as we follow the example of Jesus, who showed the full extent of His love by both serving and sacrificing.
• God’s child will serve decisively as we commit to following Jesus no matter what.
• Faith will trust God in spite of your doubts.
• I best reflect the nature of God to the people around me when my inner spirit is at peace with Him.

Page 273 was a laid-back and restful Saturday.  I was able to sleep in and then, after a late Friday, I began my morning with prayer, coffee, and the writing of yesterday’s page.  As I wrote, I would periodically check on Susan who once again slept in even longer than I did.  We used to have a Saturday morning tradition where we would go to the zoo together.  Somehow that tradition has changed to Susan sleeping in until it is time for me to start lunch.  

Once the page was written, I turned my attention to going through the photos I took yesterday.  Most of what I do in the “processing” of them is to straighten them so the horizon is horizontal in the photo.  It seems like I go through times when I can shoot fairly level photos, then I quit paying attention and most of them end up with a “tilt” to them.  There are a lot of things that my cameras do automatically, but there are still many details that I have to pay attention to in order to capture the image I want.  Some of those details are correctable after the fact, but others aren’t.  Life tends to be a lot like that — a lot of details to try to keep track of with some of them correctable if we get them wrong and others leave a more permanent mark that changes the way life looks.

By noon, Susan was ready to wake up and it was time to fire up the pellet grill to start the bacon cheeseburgers for lunch.  As I worked on lunch, the air was filled with the sounds of birds singing joyfully as they raided the remaining seeds from the row of sunflowers.  Today’s photo may appear to be of a finch perched on one of the sunflower heads, but if you look closely you should be able to find a second finch busy plucking the seeds from the sunflower it has claimed.  After taking some bird photos, I spent some time going over the sermon outline for tomorrow while lunch was cooking.  After lunch the afternoon and evening was spent relaxing, sharing photos, and letting the sermon simmer.

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

• God says that the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.   We would do well to heed God’s instructions as we understand His knowledge of our need for rest.
• Traditions can be good, but not if they end up keeping you from what you really need.
• Balance in life is difficult, but it becomes nearly impossible if we let the less important details distract us from a level focus.
• Some things are more difficult to correct than others but God wants to make all things new when we turn everything over to Him.
• Even the things we can’t fully correct can be used by God to mold us further into His image.
• God wants the feasting upon His Word to be something we enjoy and something we are able to share with others.