My workday began in the usual fashion of cleaning bathrooms, sweeping floors, taking out trash, and other typical janitorial tasks.  Most of us have tasks that we do on a regular basis, whether they are a part of our work or simply a part of our life.  For me, the key to keeping the routine tasks from becoming a thing of drudgery is the attitude I approach them with.  Yes, I have my moments and sometimes they are longer than moments — such as when it becomes routine to have to turn off lights that have been left on all night — but it is in those times that I especially have to guard my heart and mind to keep the attitude I ought to have.  I do that by turning the times of routine into prayer times.  And the more mundane the routine tasks are, the more focused my prayer time becomes.  My cleaning routine is usually so consistent that I often finish and then second-guess myself about whether I missed something.  When I doubt, or don’t remember, I go back and check and so far, every time I had already done the task I wasn’t sure about.  I call it auto-pilot mode.  Tasks that I need my hands for, but don’t necessarily need a lot of mind presence to accomplish.  It is in those morning hours that I can pray and seek God for a proper attitude for the day and listen to His direction for how I ought to serve.

Once the building was ready for the day, I sat down and typed out yesterday’s page before the lessons of the day slipped from my mind.  While I pray that these daily pages are an encouragement to those who read them, in reality they are my process of journaling as I am able to both record the lessons God is teaching me and review them when needed.  After the page was written, I headed out for a doctor’s appointment.  I’ve had a lump on the side of my nose that has been growing for the last few months so I made an appointment to have my doctor look at it.  Just to be safe, I stopped at McDonald’s to get some breakfast on my way to the appointment as anything medically related has a tendency to make me pass out, and even more readily if I haven’t eaten recently.  After looking at it and calling it some big word cyst, he said he could remove it while I was there.  I was glad I had stopped to eat, but warned him that I may take a nap during the procedure. 🙂  After he had numbed up the area and began to work on it, my mind began to mess with my body.  There was no pain and I couldn’t really feel what he was doing, but my mind was playing out all the details of all that it thought was likely going on.  Long story short, a couple cold washcloths on the forehead managed to avert the passing out but I know I was close.

The drive back to work was an adventure as the wind had become fierce.  As I worked in the office the rest of the day putting things away from yesterday’s conference trip and doing inventory while repacking the remaining books, a squirrel was outside at the very top of some small trees eating the fresh buds.  As he clung to the tiny branches, he was being waved back and forth in the wind yet managed to maintain his grip and kept on eating what he could find.  I kept thinking that eventually it would fling him out of the tree and I would see a squirrel flying past the window, but that never happened.  This guy wasn’t going to let anything stop him from feasting on these spring delicacies.  As I write today’s page waiting for the building to clear out so I can get the building ready for tomorrow, I’m becoming more aware of the area that the cyst was removed from.  I guess I’ll see how it feels by the time the building empties as to whether I do the cleaning tonight or head home and come back early tomorrow.

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

• Sometimes living a lifestyle of prayer is more about maintaining a proper attitude than anything else.
• As with the communication we have with others, prayer ought to take place in a variety of styles and forms as we spend time in conversation with our Father.
• Our work time prayers may look different from our bed time prayers which may look different from our quiet time prayers which may look different from our corporate worship prayers, but that is not only okay, it’s expected.
• When it comes to medical things, my mind can turn simple procedures into major deals.  How often do we do that with minor issues in life?
• We ought to pay close attention to the warning signs that God puts into our life to let us know we are close to becoming spiritually unconscious.
• When it comes to feasting on the Word of God, we ought to be so diligent that absolutely nothing can shake us from it.

Page 66 was a long and full day, so I’m doing the actual writing of the page the next morning.  The day began early as I headed into work to do the usual morning cleaning and building prep before the start of the school day.  After cleaning bathrooms and hallways, I did a morning walk-through of the building then began loading the prayer ministry display material in the truck for the CCCA conference.  Even with a light drizzle, the air surrounding the building was filled with the sounds of praise as the cardinals were out sharing their joyous song.  

With the truck loaded, I headed out of town on my way to Gull Lake Ministries in Hickory Corners, Michigan for the “vendor fair” of the Christian Camp & Conference Association’s Great Lakes Super-Sectional Conference.  As I headed north, it felt like the wind was fighting against me, so I made a quick stop along Lake Michigan only to be surprised that the waves weren’t very significant.  My next stop was Sam’s Club to get bait — chocolate to put on the display table to entice people to stop at least for a moment. 🙂

I arrived at the conference location shortly before noon and began setting up my display.  As I worked, they announced that lunch was being served in the cafeteria, so I paused my work and went to get lunch.  I had been to this conference several times in the past as a camp staff member, so I was familiar enough with where things were and what to expect.  I did notice two big differences, they had completely remodeled the dining area to enlarge it and open it up to even more light as it overlooks Gull Lake and today the surface of the lake was rather choppy where in previous visits there were people out ice fishing on it.  j

After a good lunch, I headed back to the gymnasium area to finish up the display and wait for the vendor fair to begin.  It is a limited amount of space with a lot of people coming through in a relatively short amount of time.  The atmosphere and acoustics make it rather loud, so conversations seem to involve trying to out-talk the surrounding noise.  There were a number of good conversations and quite a few resources were put into the hands of camp staff.  I did bring more back with me than I had hoped, but being my first time with a display at this conference, I may have overestimated what I needed to take.  The most surprising thing to me was that very little of the chocolate was taken!  

Once the vendor fair part of the conference was over, I packed up the display and materials and loaded them back in the truck.  As I left the property, the morning drizzle and gray sky and turned into a somewhat warm, sunny day.  Since my route home takes me very near Lake Michigan and it was going to be the sunset hour as I went by, I had to stop and take some photos.  Today’s photo was taken in St Joseph, Michigan with the sun setting behind the lighthouse.  If you look closely, there is a person in the water on the far right side of the picture.  While not significant in size, there were enough waves that several people were out surfing on the cold waters of Lake Michigan.  Once the sun had set, I headed home and starting going through the day’s photos before deciding I needed to sleep so the writing of the page would have to wait until morning.

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

• Schedules and routine are important, but so is rest.  Jesus said, “Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  I think the same principle can apply to schedules and routines.
• Our surroundings may change the sound of our worship, but they shouldn’t be able to silence it.
• The winds of life can produce waves that are either gentle and calming or waves that threaten to sink you.  The difference isn’t always the force of the wind but rather the direction it is coming from.  Seek to be moved along by the winds of God’s Spirit.
• A life that is lived well for Christ should be the “bait” that attracts people to wanting to hear about the hope that is within you.
• God calls each of us to let our lights shine, but to do so in a way that it is His light that is seen.

Page 65 has been a full day that began with the usual early morning cleaning and building prep.  Once the building was ready I spent a little time considering some prayer guide topics before I needed to head out for a dentist appointment.  After going forty years between dentist visits, I have found myself in an every six month routine for about a year and a half now.  Still not my favorite thing to do, but it has definitely risen above some other things on my least favorite list.  

Following the dental appointment I returned to the office to spend time with God putting together the prayer guide for next week.  I had a couple ideas cross my mind that just didn’t stick long enough to develop them, so I continued to pray and listen and spend time in the Word.  The process took longer than normal today, but I suppose that had a lot to do with the variety of other things that called for my attention throughout the day.  Eventually, I settled on the topic of healing and was once again surprised that I had not yet developed a prayer guide on a topic of such importance.  I believe that far too often we settle for praying about that which is good — the physical healing of ourselves and others — while we ought to add to that an even greater emphasis on praying for that which is better — the spiritual healing of ourselves and others.

By mid-afternoon I finally finished writing the prayer guide and then formatted and scheduled it to be sent out and posted on my website on Sunday.  The interruptions of the day had all been resolved and taken care of, so I turned my attention to some details I still needed to take care of for the Impact Prayer Ministry display I will have set up at the Christian Camp & Conference Association’s super-sectional conference tomorrow.  After updating some display table signs, I finished packing the books and display material that I will take with me.  The last time I was at this particular conference, it was as a camp staff member so it will be interesting to see how it looks from an exhibitor point of view.  It is my prayer that God will use the resources I am able to provide, and the connections I will make, for His purposes and glory.

By early evening I had everything collected together and boxed up for the trip so it would be ready to load into the truck tomorrow morning.  Today’s photo is one I took yesterday during our hike at Potato Creek.  This was one of the first turtles I have seen out this spring, but I suspect it won’t be long until this log is covered solid with turtles from one end to the other.  That turtle seemed fitting for today, as does the old story of the tortoise and the hare.  While the day was long, and at times seemed somewhat slow, the tasks that it brought were eventually finished through a steady and consistent approach.

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

• Sometimes we avoid doing good things for no better reason than we’ve simply gotten used to not doing them.
• Deciding to do the good we ought to do, and then doing it once, can lead to a consistent practice of good deeds.
• Interruptions of your plans will happen on a regular basis.  While they may change your pace, those interruptions don’t have to derail your progress.
• Praying, and caring, for the physically sick and needy ought to be a regular part of a Christian’s life.
• Praying, and caring, for the spiritually sick and needy ought to also be a regular part of a Christian’s life.
• Most of us are pretty good at making either/or decisions out of both/and situations.  
• The race isn’t always won by the fastest, but it is always won by a finisher.  
• Sometimes we need to ask God for wisdom in knowing what to throw off as a hindrance to our walk with God and what to persevere in as a faith and character building exercise that strengthens us.

Page 64 was a Sunday and it was a Sunday that I had the privilege of preaching, which is always enough to make it a favorite day for me.  I suppose if one lesson of the day was more predominant than all others, it would be the need to keep a proper perspective on circumstances while continually moving forward at whatever pace is manageable.  As I was getting dressed for the day, the sounds of Susan in a seizure carried up the stairwell.  That sound is one that will grab a parent’s attention rather quickly as attention turns toward her needs while everything else just blends into the unseen.  As I worked with her to help her stay safe and to comfort her, there was no thought in my mind of anything else I ought to be doing.  I have learned perspective though.  The first seizure she had twenty-some years ago put my mind in such a panic that I passed out on my way to the phone to call 911.  Now it is a part of life for all of us — an unwelcome part, but a part nonetheless.  

Eventually the seizure passed and we all got ready and headed to church in Dowagiac where I would share the morning message at the North Wayne Mennonite Church.  As I have opportunity to preach there each month, I’ve been working on a character study series that I’ve entitled, “Living As the Lord’s Servant”.  In this morning’s sermon, we looked at the character of Samson from the book of Judges.  For most people the story of Samson begins, and perhaps ends, at the strength that he had been given which was lost as he abandoned his vows to God and allowed his hair to be cut.  In keeping with the theme of the series, the purpose of the message was to examine what we could learn from Samson’s life that would help us live as the Lord’s servant.  While strength is a characteristic that we see in Samson’s life, I think his example goes beyond that to help us learn how to live with ZEAL.  Here’s the condensed outline as you consider how living with ZEAL could help you lives as the Lord’s Servant.

• Zero Tolerance.  While Samson obviously failed when it came to some of his life decisions, he was raised and taught his entire life to have zero tolerance when it came to allowing evil in his life.  The Nazarite vows that became a part of his life were designed to develop, and keep, a life of purity.  From even before birth, he was set apart to be devoted to God.  The tough part of this aspect of zeal is that the zero tolerance is meant to be applied to evil, and specifically to not allowing evil into our life.  
• Eagerness.  Living with zeal, by definition, contains an eagerness about it.  In the context of living as the Lord’s servant, zeal means that we are eager to serve not only our Master, but all those that He would have us serve on His behalf.  Our eagerness to serve ought to carry over into an eagerness to share the good news of Jesus whenever we have an opportunity and whenever we can make an opportunity.  When it comes right down to it, how many of us avoid living with zeal because we are not eager to serve and not eager to share about Jesus?
• Action.  We probably all know people who get excited quickly about a lot of different things, but rarely get involved in any of them.  Samson was a person of action.  While some of his actions may make us scratch our head and wonder what was going on, his pursuit of God resulted in action on behalf of God.  While his parents, and probably everyone else, objected to his action of taking a Philistine wife, the Bible says that the idea to do so was from God as a way for Him to confront the Philistines who had been ruling over Israel — and ruling quite harshly.  It is important to point out that zeal as a servant of the Lord isn’t about just doing something — it is about doing the will and work of God that we come to understand through time with Him in prayer and the Word.  
• Loss.  As difficult as the first three components of living with zeal may be, often the toughest part is realizing that doing so will include living with loss.  Living with zeal as a servant of the Lord will often cause loss of friendships as we hold fast to a zero tolerance of evil in our life.  It will cause a loss of “free time” as we grow in our eagerness to serve God and others.  And it will bring about a loss of comfort and resources as we take action in caring for people in the way God would want us to.  Sometimes our zeal in living as the Lord’s servant will even put us in situations that may cost us our life — at least our life here on earth.  But when we live with genuine zeal as a servant of the Lord, whatever losses that exist from the world’s perspective are only temporary in comparison to the great gain of eternity with our Lord and Master.

After the church service we got lunch and some groceries at Sam’s on our way home.  By mid-afternoon, the temperature was mild and we decided to head down to Potato Creek for a family walk and to look for some photo opportunities.  We had just begun our first trail when I saw an eagle perched nearby.  There was a lot of tree cover and brush between us, but I managed a few photos through the brush as he kept a close eye on us.  Today’s photo is one of those shots as he seems to be trying to both figure out what I’m doing and express his displeasure at my interest in him.  Susan walked the first mile loop with us and then we headed to a different trail where she rode the wheelchair for another two and a half to three miles.  After a stop for supper on the way home, the evening has been spent writing today’s page before heading to bed to get some sleep before the start of another work day.

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

• Sometimes things are bigger in our mind than what they have to be simply because we don’t have enough experience to evaluate them accurately.
• When our children are in need, we tend to drop everything to care for them.  How much more do you think God cares for His children?
• Left on our own, we are more likely to have zero tolerance for evil in the lives of others than we are to reject all evil in our life.
• Our level of eagerness to help others who are in need says a lot more about us than it does about them.
• What we do in response to God working in our life says a lot more about our belief in Him than any of our words can.
• Loss during this life on earth is inevitable.  Trying to completely protect our self from all forms of loss will likely lead to greater loss in our relationship with God.
• Sometimes our expressions says more to the people around us than we realize.

The things I wanted to get done at work Friday evening took much longer than I had anticipated, meaning it was very late when I got home, so it felt good to sleep in a little bit this morning.  Once I was awake, the first task of the day was to cut my hair to get rid of some of the wooliness.  It is always interesting how much hair I cut off as I use the same attachment on the clippers each time and I never wake up marveling at how much my hair had grown since the day before.  I’ve heard people describe a boring event as having as much excitement as watching paint dry . . . perhaps we could change that to being as exciting as watching hair grow. 🙂  A lot of things in life are that way.  We cruise along the highway of life thinking one day is pretty much the same as the one before until all of a sudden an unexpected event causes us to realize how much change has taken place.

Sometimes that change is good and it is a result of positive growth.  But since growth doesn’t happen by accident, most of the time we can see that coming even if it is more significant that we had anticipated.  Unfortunately, the change that most often catches us by surprise is the subtle slide toward thoughts, attitudes, and actions that are not Christ-like.  We become exposed to things that shock us the first time, and perhaps even the first ten times.  But sooner or later, a day comes when that same thing takes place and we don’t even give it a second thought.  In fact, we will often say, “I didn’t even notice.”  I use social media a lot as a means to share the thoughts and words that God puts in my mind and the photographs that express His creativity.  The vast majority of people who are my connections on social media are Christians which makes the amount of profanity and vulgarity that I see on a daily basis somewhat more disturbing that what it is simply by its presence.  It typically means that someone didn’t notice, or didn’t care, that the post they were liking, sharing, or commenting on was profane at its very core.  We have become so used to hearing and seeing all the words that once would have gotten my mouth washed out with soap, to the point that people get offended if we privately point out the language they are publicly sharing.  I know, I’m “old-fashioned”, but if someone says, or posts, the phrase “pardon the language”, I have to ask, “Why?”   Why use the language if it has to be pardoned?  Why should I overlook something that is profane and vulgar simply because someone thought it would give their statement more weight or credibility?  Why accept this type of thing as normal for God’s children?

After the haircut, much of the day was spent pondering and meditating on the text and outline for tomorrow’s sermon — that is, in between the napping and relaxing that took place.  I also spent a lot of time considering how hateful people have become in our society.  It’s like the entire nation is back in junior high and somehow we believe that if I continue to point out all of your faults with increasing volume and fervor, then no one will notice all of my faults.  A good question to ask before we like, share, or comment on anything, “Is the name of Christ being lifted up and made known in this, or is it being sullied and dragged through the mud?”  Jesus said that all men would know we are His disciples by the way we love one another.  Unfortunately, many seem to act like all men will know we are His disciples by thew way we publicly point out the hypocrisy of one another.  As the day wraps up, I pray that God’s Spirit would convict each of us of our need to love one another — especially those we disagree with.  The world sees more than enough fighting, hatred, and war without needing the Christian community to add to it as we try to justify ourselves by making others look bad.  What if, even in the midst of political disagreement, Christians rose above the hatred and showed the world what true, Godly love looks like?  I think then, we would have something that would lift up Christ and draw all peoples to Him.

Today’s photo is of last night’s sunset as seen from work.  For me, watching God paint the sky is an incredible thing.  His wonders are too much to fathom, yet I continually seek Him for greater understanding.

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

• Faithfulness is God’s measure of success.  
• Finishing the work He created in advance for us to do ought to be a priority for us.
• Knowing God so we know what that work is, ought to be foundational in our life.
• Don’t worry if growth isn’t apparent day to day as long as you are still walking with God each day.  The growth is taking place and one day will be noticed.
• If you’re not deliberately walking with God each day, you ought to be concerned about a negative growth taking place.
• Yes, times have changed, but God has not.  We don’t get to decide what is “coarse and foolish” or “unwholesome” talk, God sets the standard for what is pure.
• When God says, “Love covers a multitude of sins.”, He’s not just talking about the sins of “the other guy”.
• God wants His children to make Him known as clearly, and even more clearly than, He is visible in creation.

With a no-student day for the school yesterday, there was no reason for me to head into work early even though I was awake at my usual early time.  Since I was awake, I looked out the window to make sure it hadn’t snowed then went back to sleep for a little while.  When I got back up around 7, there was snow on the ground and it was still lightly falling.  It wasn’t a lot, but enough to be a nuisance, so when I got to work I got out the leaf blower and cleared the sidewalks before the start of the school day.  

The snowfall didn’t last long and as I worked through the morning, the sun came out and the birds arrived outside my office window to enjoy the moisture left behind by the snow and to continue their work on the berries that remain.  Spring is also in the air as the male and female cardinals are more likely to chase each other around than to sit peacefully eating berries.  Today’s photo is of one of the female cardinals as she is basking in the morning sun with the skin of a fresh-picked berry hanging from her beak.  I’m guessing the berries are getting a little dry this time of year as the trips down to the snow covered ground were fairly frequent.  As I worked on some sermon refinement for Sunday, Susan kept busy stuffing the prayer insert into the bulletin — a job she generally enjoys doing.  It made me think that sometime I need to write a follow-up to my recent blog post, “Finding Joy In Who You Are”, with that being the key to finding joy in what you do.  Because  Susan knows complete joy in being a child of God, she is able to find joy in the unseen work of serving.

By early afternoon it was time for lunch and a break, so after getting something to eat I headed down to Potato Creek for a short hike.  The air was cold as the wind blew in off the lake and the eagles were nowhere to be seen, but the clear blue sky and bright sunshine made for some beautiful picnic area photos and a peaceful hike through the woods.  Once back to work, I started some of the prep for the weekend cleaning while I waited for the after school program to finish.  As I worked, I received a phone call letting me know the wheels and parts for my work tractor had come in so I headed out to pick them up.  The rear rims on the tractor had corroded to the point they were no longer usable, so I had ordered new rims and hubs.  Wednesday I had received a call letting me know that the rims had been discontinued and were no longer available, that I had to get the rim and tire together.  I hadn’t planned on getting new tires as the old ones were still usable, but they weren’t going to be usable without rims so I didn’t really have a lot of choice.  Then they tell me the good news is that the tire and rim combination is actually cheaper than the rim only that I had ordered.  That didn’t make much sense to me, but I not only picked up my parts along with two new tires I hadn’t planned on purchasing and got a refund back from what I had already paid.

After I brought the parts back, I continued my weekend cleaning and building prep and as I cleaned the glass doors, the setting sun was begging to be photographed.  So, I grabbed my cameras and went out to oblige its request.  It is always encouraging to me to watch God paint the sky whether it’s the beginning or the end of a day.  The beauty that He shares with us is astounding and leaves me in awe of a God that designed such a marvelous scene.  As I transferred the photos to my computer, I began writing today’s page.  Now that the page is nearly written, I will get it posted and then finish my work for the day so I can head home.

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

• Your circumstances now may not be what they will be an hour from now.  With God’s help, hold on to what is good, change what needs changed, and move on from what isn’t good and can’t be changed. 
• Critical thinking and logical thinking evidently aren’t the same thing in today’s culture.
• Sometimes the meat of God’s Word seems a bit tough and dry — that’s when you need the refreshing moisture of God’s Spirit to make it digestible.
• Finding joy in who you are is the secret to finding joy in what you do.  Unfortunately, we often try to reverse that process and become disillusioned when it doesn’t work.
• It is a good practice to listen fully before jumping to conclusions.  What may initially sound disappointing could possibly turn out better than you imagine if you hear the end of the story.
• There is no excuse for not seeing the presence of God in the midst of the beauty of creation He surrounds us with — that’s not just my conclusion, that is what God says! (Read Romans 1)

I ended up working late last night and then slept more soundly than I have in a long time.  I was awake at 7, which has now become “sleeping in”, and noticed the sun starting to light up the eastern horizon.  It looked like it would be worth taking some photos, so I got dressed and headed outside.  I have trees in all directions from the house, so I went out to the road where the clearest view to the horizon is possible.  As I went out, I noticed everything had iced over after I got home last night making the driveway and walks at home quite slippery.  So, I headed to work to put down some ice melt on the walks so they would be clear for the preschool classes and teachers in-service day.  

While work is only two miles from home, as I pulled into the driveway it appeared that there wasn’t nearly as much snow cover on the ground.  When I drove up to the building, the sidewalks appeared to be clear and dry.  While the meant my trip was unnecessary as far as work goes, it also meant I had a better view of the sunrise to take pictures.  I pulled around to the back of the building and took a number of photos as the sun made it’s way over the horizon and then the tree line.  As I finished my photo taking and headed home so Susan didn’t have to wake up, I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed the sun making its way over the building.  The sight was enough to cause me to stop on one side of the driveway and shoot a few more photos before heading home.  Today’s photo is one that would have been missed had I not payed attention to my surroundings as I drove away.  Sometimes we settle for good because we don’t anticipate, and look for, better.  We become so comfortable and satisfied with the work of God in our life that we no longer look for the “more than we can think or imagine” that He still wants to do.

After taking a few photos from the driveway, I headed home so MJ could go to work and Susan could keep sleeping.  While Susan slept, I went through the photos I had taken and shared a few online for others to enjoy.  Even with snow on the ground, by mid-morning I fired up the pellet grill and put some pork chops on to slow cook so we would have smoked pork chops for lunch.  The rest of the day was spent in a combination of relaxing and letting the sermon points for Sunday soak in and simmer.  In talking with others, I’ve come to believe that my sermon prep process is not exactly normal, but I’ve rarely claimed to be normal. 🙂  In fact, those close to me believe it is something in the Asperger’s family that God uses to create the perspective I have in my writing, preaching, teaching, and photography.  Sometimes it is difficult to keep focused on how God uses those differences in thought processing for His good purposes when others don’t appreciate the perspective they bring.  Like all things, the key lies in staying focused on why we do what we do and on Who we’re doing it for.

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

• It’s good to wake up refreshed.  It’s even better to live refreshed.
• Weather conditions where you are may be different from even those that are nearby.  Just because someone lives near you, it doesn’t mean their life conditions are the same as yours.  You won’t know until you spend the time to be with them.
• Sometimes a glimmer of light is all that is needed to make a person seek more.
• Is your life a glimmer of light to others or is it a tree that keeps the light from being seen?
• Good is good, but don’t dwell so firmly in the good that you miss the better and best.
• We’re all unique, even different some might say.  Seek God for how He wants to use the uniqueness He has gifted you with.
• People won’t always understand you and you won’t always understand them.  Listening usually leads to better understanding than arguing.
• Faithfulness is God’s measure of success.

After a stormy night with very interrupted sleep, heading into work early to get the cleaning and building prep done for the day wasn’t as difficult as one might think.  Keeping at it until late tonight to get the building ready for tomorrow may be a different story.  🙂  Once I get today’s page written, I will see how I feel and how much I get done.  I did find out by accident, and then later got an email, that the students don’t have school here tomorrow so it will just be the teachers and preschool, so that will change a little bit of both what needs done and when it needs done by.

After getting the building ready for the day, I spent a little time continuing work on the sermon for Sunday before heading out to help a church member move to a different apartment.  We moved things from a lower level apartment which meant we had to carry everything up a flight of stairs to get it out of the building, to an upper level apartment which meant we had to carry everything up a flight of stairs to get it into the apartment.  That meant that my wrist-worn activity tracker finally said I met goal in flights of stairs climbed — a goal I rarely meet as I don’t have much stair usage in a normal day.  As we were carrying things into the new apartment, a friend that was helping asked me jokingly if the Wednesday services at church would be canceled tonight — the carrying boxes and furniture up and down stairs was wearing all of us out.  My reply was, “I’m pretty sure this is Wednesday services, so coming to the church building later is up to you.”  Gathering together for Bible study and fellowship is important, but serving brothers and sisters who are in need is equally, if not more, important.  It made me think of the teaching of Jesus regarding the Sabbath being made for the benefit of people rather than people being created so there would be someone to keep the Sabbath.

By early afternoon the majority of the things, and all the heavy items, were moved so I headed to the store to pick up some things for the office before heading back to work.  As I went back to working on the sermon, I found myself in a battle to keep from nodding off.  I persevered and kept at it until I needed to do a building walk-through and take out trash before the Wednesday evening Bible studies.  By late afternoon, the temperature had dropped and the morning rain had changed to snow.  Today’s photo shows the snow clinging to the trees and brush that were earlier filled with birds singing their songs of spring.  While the white coating on everything presents an appearance of beauty and purity, it is also a reminder that winter isn’t over.

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

• The storms of life can be loud and disruptive, but they don’t have to keep us from doing what we ought.
• Sometimes we have to look deep within our self, and then look beyond our self to God, to find the strength to carry on.
• I’m guessing building designers don’t anticipate they will ever have to move someone’s belongings.
• I’m often asked to pray that God would make the plans of a person or group work like they want them to.  I’m rarely, if ever, asked to pray that a person or group would make God’s plan work in their midst.  Regardless of what I’m asked, I always pray the second.
• If we’re too busy to serve others, we’re too busy.
• God looks at the heart of a person, not the church attendance record of a person.  
• The heart that seeks God ought to lead us to involvement in a church body and involvement in being the church body outside the building.
• God’s promise to forgive our sins and to completely cleanse us from all unrighteousness is a beautiful thing.