I’ve had a few good nights of sleep but I’m not sure I’ve caught up from too many restless nights in a row as I find myself running out of energy before the day ends.  Even with sleeping well, I am finding myself awake before the alarm goes off each morning so I’ve been heading into work a little earlier than usual.  Page 136 found me awake early and headed to work under the bright light of an egg-shaped moon.  There were a lot of patchy clouds on the horizon so I expected a beautiful sunrise to greet me later in the morning.  As I cleaned the building and took out the first load of trash, the patch clouds had built into a thick layer of clouds covering the entire eastern sky.  The clouds hung around for a few hours so the sunrise I had expected never appeared — at least not in the manner I had hoped. 

Once the building was ready for the day, I spent some time writing out yesterday’s page as I was too tired last night to do so.  I’m starting the writing of today’s page early this evening, so hopefully I get it finished before I decide my mind is finished for the day.  Not that I suspect it makes a huge difference when it gets written, but my mind is more at ease if I can be consistent in the process.  After posting yesterday’s page, it was time to switch hats from writer to accountant.  The rest of the workday was spent crunching numbers, balancing books, and catching up with the correspondence from the missions that the church helps to support.  

By mid-afternoon, my accounting work was done and it was time to get some lunch before heading home.  At home I followed up on some requests for information about the books I have written, then sat down for a while to allow my mind to relax.  Eventually I got up and went out to run the rototiller back through the garden space.  After last night’s work of breaking through the hardness that had developed over the winter, this tilling brought the soil to a point of softness so that it was ready to be planted in.  Once the garden work was finished for the day, I fired up the pellet grill and made some bacon cheeseburgers for dinner.  Now I’m wrapping up the day with the writing of this page and will likely head to bed early and pray for another night of good sleep.  With no new photos taken today, I chose one from Sunday evening for today’s page.  When we arrived at Potato Creek Sunday evening, the birds were filling the air with the joyous sounds of their singing.  While most of them were  hidden in the brush or didn’t stay still long enough to photograph, this cardinal sat in the evening sun long enough for me to snap a picture of him.  He flew off shortly after this photo was taken but he continued to sing even while avoiding being seen.  It seems like many people are just the opposite — we are more concerned about being seen that we are about singing songs of praise. 

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

• It takes more effort to catch up on necessary sleep than it did to lose it.
• Things change.  Sometimes they change in ways that we like and sometimes they change in ways that aren’t what we wanted.
• It is important to realize what changes we have influence over and what changes we don’t, otherwise we get worked up over things that we can’t really do anything about.
• Just because something doesn’t look like you expected it to doesn’t mean it didn’t happen like it was supposed to.
• If you want a wider view of the kingdom of God, spend some time reading newsletters from missionaries and correspond with them.
• Hard ground can be made soft again and through the power of God, hard hearts can be made soft as well.
• Our songs of praise ought to be noticed by the people around us even if they don’t notice us.

Page 135 was a Monday so it was back to the weekday routine.  As I walked out of the house to head to work, the moon was hung above me in a blanket of stars as they all illuminated the night.  With a camera that can zoom in and capture some of the details and texture of the moon, I find myself more fascinated with it than ever before.  I suppose it also helps that a clearly visible moon is a good sign that the sky will be clear for outside work during the day.

As I went through the building in the quietness of a Monday morning, I was reminded of God’s presence and the stillness it can bring.  While God has made it clear that He does not dwell in a temple made with human hands but in the temple of His creation, there are places where God’s presence within me seems more noticeable.  For me, an empty church building has always been one of those places.  As I cleaned, I remembered a country cemetery near where I grew up which had a small chapel building that in those days was always open.  Periodically, when I had the time to get away, I would ride my bicycle several miles so I could just sit in the chapel and acknowledge God’s presence in me.  Probably an unusual practice for a pre-teen boy, but I’ve rarely been accused of being normal. 🙂

Once the building was ready for the day, I turned my attention to what would become my task for most of the day — writing.  I began by writing the page from the day before as it seems I keep finding myself finishing the day too tired to write out the day’s page — thus Monday’s page is being written early Tuesday morning as well.  After the previous day’s page was written, I turned my attention to the prayer guide for next week as well as starting to outline one for the following week as I work ahead for an upcoming family vacation.  As I spent time with God, I ended up reworking a previously written prayer guide for next week.  The focus will be on praying about the missions ministry of the church.  While the local prayer guide will list the specific missions that the Deer Run congregation helps to support, the published prayer guide will have people praying about the same things for the missions they help support and/or for missions work in general.  Most of the days will focus on things that Paul asked people to pray about for him as he would go about sharing the good news of Jesus — things like effectiveness, boldness, and wisdom rather than safety and prosperity.

By mid-afternoon my workday had been filled with a good variety of tasks and it was time to get some lunch and head home.  After relaxing for a short while, I mowed the lawn and then worked at tilling the garden area so it can eventually be planted.  It is amazing how quickly a time of inattention to the ground can cause it to become hardened and difficult to work with.  My first pass through the garden with the rototiller was doing little but scratching the surface, the ground was just so hard.  I ended up going over the entire thing about six times and with each passing round, the soil became softer and less difficult to till through.  It was almost as if the ground had never been worked before, yet I know that ‘s not the case.  Just last fall the ground was as soft as could be following a growing season that produced a great crop as the ground was cultivated throughout the summer.  It’s that regular cultivation and working of the soil that keeps it soft and receptive to the nourishing rain.  Without regular attention, it is not long before the surface crusts over and soon the hardness settles in deep.  If you think about it, that is pretty similar to our spiritual life.  We need to cultivate our spirit with the tools of prayer and God’s Word on a regular basis to keep it soft and able to bear much fruit.  Neglecting the soil of our soul only leads to a hardness which eventually creates more work or even ends the ability to grow.

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

• Observing is important.  Knowing what your observation means is wisdom.
• How bright are you?  I’m not asking about your intelligence, but rather how well do you reflect the light of Jesus?
• While God’s presence dwells within the heart and soul of each believer, there are places that can help us be more aware of His surrounding presence.
• Sometimes being still in the presence of God requires effort on my part and sometimes I just find myself surrounded by His presence in a way that requires stillness.
• Every believer in Christ is called to be a missionary — a sharer of the good news of Jesus.
• We partner with those called to a life work of sharing the gospel through both our giving and our prayers.
• Prayers that are powerful and effective for others are prayers that are centered on what God desires.
• Hardening of the heart can take place in a much shorter time than most people imagine.
• Cultivating your spiritual life on a regular basis can keep your  heart from becoming hard.
• A hardened heart isn’t impossible to restore, it just takes a lot of time and work by both us and God.

Page 134 was a great day spent with my church family in the morning and my “family” family the rest of the day.  Our Bible School class finished up the book of 2 Thessalonians as we looked at Paul’s instructions to not only stay faithful until the return of Christ, but to keep working.  Not only did he instruct the Christians to pay attention to their personal conduct, he commanded them to warn their fellow believers who were disruptive, lazy, and/or unwilling to work.  In the church body here on earth, there is a job for everyone even though not every job is for everyone.  It made me think of my daughter who puts the communion cups in the trays and inserts the prayer guide into the bulletin each week.  Yes, she has vast limitations and a long list could be created of things she can’t do, but that doesn’t keep her from doing the things she can do.

After the Bible study class, our morning worship gathering included a message by David from the book of Ruth.  While the written story of Ruth is not long — contained in the four chapters of the Bible book which bears her name — the result of the story impacts the life of every follower of God since.  As the great-grandmother of David, king of Israel, she is one of the women listed in the genealogy of Jesus recorded by Matthew.  Her life, her pursuit of God, and her obedience to Him continues to bear fruit to this day.  The sermon looked at three character qualities that were a part of who Ruth was, that we would do well to adopt as a part of who we are as we seek to live a life that bears much fruit.

Ruth was:

• Persistent in Friendship:  When given the opportunity to leave her mother-in-law, Ruth clung to her and persisted in staying by her side through whatever would come their way.  Naomi was bitter, discouraged, perhaps even depressed — not qualities that make it easy for anyone to stay by her side.  Yet Ruth followed through with her commitment to not only stay by Naomi’s side, but to not let the circumstances they each faced become contagious.  In a society were everything, including relationships, seems to be disposable, we would do well to persist in the friendships that God has brought us into.
• Diligent in Service:  Not only was there a persistence in the friendship, but Ruth was diligent in serving the needs of Naomi as best she could.  While many would say that Ruth’s need to work in the manner she did was the result of the lack of a “safety net” for people like her and Naomi, I believe an understanding of God’s law shows that what she did was an example of the “safety net” in action.  No, there wasn’t a program set up where they could simply be given their food for the day, but God had commanded that those who needed food would be allowed to gather whatever grain was left behind after the initial harvesting of a field.  It made me think of the verse we looked at in Sunday School that says, “Anyone who is unwilling to work, shall not eat.”  Yes, God’s “safety net” required work by those needing help, but Ruth was diligent in the work required so that the needs that she and Naomi had were met.  In a society where we expect so much to be provided, we would do well to work with our hands and be diligent in service as we meet our own needs and the needs of others through the provision that comes from God.
• Humble in Attitude:  Bad attitudes are easy to come by and can be highly contagious.  Humility is one of the few things that can overcome a bad attitude and even prevent the onset of one.  As you read the book of Ruth, you find that Ruth has chosen to follow a woman that has developed a bad attitude as the result of hard times.  Yet in the face of Naomi’s discouragement and bitterness, Ruth chooses to humbly submit to the teachings and instructions of Naomi about the culture they now live in.  While it is likely Ruth had little idea of what she would face when she followed Naomi back to Israel, instead of quitting and running back home, she faced each day with an attitude of humility.  It was her attitude and her character which got her noticed in a good way — a way so good that it not only landed her a redeemer for the situation she and Naomi faced, but it landed us a Redeemer from the bondage of sin that we face.  In a society that is filled with the loud shouts of pride, we would do well to take on a deliberate attitude of humility as we submit to one another.

After the church service, I went to lunch with my family and then we made our way to the farm to visit my mom and dad.  It was good to see mom doing so well after last weekend’s hospital stay which resulted in getting a pacemaker put in.  My sister and one of my brothers and their families stopped by while we were there and it was good to see them as well.  After our visit, we made a quick stop at Potato Creek to take a walk, which almost always includes a few photos.  Today’s photo seemed like the perfect one to include on the Mother’s Day page as the mother goose took her young out for a swim.  It had been a good, but long day.

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

• It is possible to care about a person and still have expectations of effort from them.  In fact, if we don’t expect effort, we may not care as much as we think.
• We’re not all called to do the same work, but we are all called to do the “work created in advance for us to do.”
• Bearing fruit is a natural part of what a Christian does — or at least it should be.
• Some people are easy to love — some not so much.  Our responsibility isn’t to make them more lovable, but to be persistent in our friendship.
• Serving others can often be more work than we think we signed up for.  Our responsibility is to be diligent in service anyway.
• Submission is often viewed as a “dirty word” in our society.  Our responsibility is to live with humility that practices the act of submitting to one another.
• Family time is valuable.  If you don’t make time for family now, one day you won’t be able to.

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.