Page 297 was the official end of our fall break anniversary get-a-way as tomorrow we head back to work.  Our 35th wedding anniversary was September 21 but our schedules were not conducive to doing much at that time so we planned this anniversary get-a-way during the school and preschool’s fall break.  We left home around 1 PM after preschool was done last Wednesday and made it back home at 9:30 PM tonight after putting 1527.6 miles on the truck during our sightseeing adventures.  It seems like we packed a lot into the 4 1/2 days that we had, but there was so much more that we didn’t get to.

Today was our journey home and I began the day by soaking in the hot tub for a while as the sun worked at coming up over the tree line.  Then it was time to start the unpleasant task of packing up and getting ready to leave — unpleasant simply because it meant our short vacation was nearly over.  Once the truck was loaded, it was time to take some final photos of the lake and shoreline with the beautiful fall colors lit up by the morning sun.  On our way out of the park we stopped and hiked a short trail then it was time to head for home.  But just because we were headed for home didn’t mean vacation was going to be over — there was still a day’s journey to be had.  Our first stop after leaving the park was another covered bridge.  It was such a beautiful day that we decided to head north and make a quick visit to Cuyahoga National Park to see a few sights on our way home.  At the park we took a walk on the Erie Canal Towpath where I took today’s photo.  A portion of the walk was boardwalk through a wetlands area.  The beauty along the entire walkway was amazing.  After our walk we took a short drive to see an incredible waterfall in the park and then found another covered bridge to photograph.  Not wanting to give up, we swung up along Lake Erie to make a short visit to the Marblehead Lighthouse State Park to photograph the lighthouse.  After squeezing all that we could into the day, it was finally time to actually head for home and prepare for the workweek.

As I think about the day, I reflect on the effort we put on continuing something that we do not want to end.  I wonder how often we put that much effort into maintaining our relationship with God and with one another.  When we are pursuing God, do we long to have just one more moment together in our prayer and quiet time before we have to go on to other tasks of life?  Do we look for every opportunity we can find to spend time with those we love as we desire that those times would never end or are we satisfied with seeing time together end?  I also thought about the paths we walk.  Early this morning we walked a path that was narrow and not well maintained.  There were areas that were slippery and exposed tree roots threatened to trip up the casual hiker that wasn’t paying attention.  The early afternoon hike was on a wide path that was mostly level and smooth.  In places where mud would make the walk treacherous, a raised boardwalk had been installed.  It is in our time with God where we learn to follow the instruction of His Word that we are able to find the paths that He has made straight.

I pray that you and I would make the most of the opportunities God gives us to spend time with our families.  I pray that we would be creative in remembering special occasions.  I pray that we would hold fast to God, and to one another, as the value those relationships bring make us want them to never end.  I pray that God would make our paths straight as we learn to lean upon His Word for strength and direction.

Page 296 was another family day as we prepare to wrap up our fall break adventures.  The day began with a heavy cloud cover and cooler temperatures following yesterday’s rain.  If yesterday’s rain didn’t slow us down, a downturn in temperature wasn’t about to deter us from another family adventure.  Once we were up and ready for the day we threw the cameras in the truck and took off in search of the day’s adventure and things to photograph.  The primary subject today was once again covered bridges but we kept our eyes open for whatever photo opportunities would present themselves.  It ended up being another day with over 200 miles on the road looking for scenes to photograph.  But that also meant over 200 miles riding together, photographing, and enjoying the beauty of creation and the company of one another.

The photo for today’s page is one that made me think about the way we care, or don’t care, for things.  As we searched out covered bridges, a variety of other buildings would catch our eye.  Sometimes they were new buildings that were designed to be eye-catching showpieces.  Many times they were old buildings that had seen better days but were still (mostly) standing.  It would be easy to think that time had not been good to them and they simply outlived their ability to endure.  Even among the bridges, the condition of them varied greatly.  Some of the old covered bridges no longer exist as they have deteriorated and fallen apart — often into the river they once crossed.  Some still look attractive but are closed to traffic because the beauty is only skin deep.  The surface has been taken care of but the important parts that aren’t nearly as visible are lacking the ability to do the job they were originally designed to do.  And then there are those bridges that are still in use.  For generations people have cared for them from the foundation up and the bridges have rewarded their caretakers by carrying them safely across the river waters underneath.  

The photo contains an old shed with no roof, an abandoned house with sheets of the metal roofing and most of the windows missing, and a covered bridge that is still in use today.  I don’t know when the shed or the house were built, but I would venture a good guess by looking at the design and material used that they are both newer than the 1886 construction of the covered bridge.  The fact that the bridge is still in use speaks more to the desire of people through multiple generations to make sure it was maintained and cared for while the other two buildings reached a point where they were no longer cared for as they should have been.

The same is true of our lives and relationships.  Their usefulness today is a direct reflection of the time we put into maintaining them on a consistent basis.  It is when we become complacent in our relationships with people, and with God, that they begin to disintegrate without us even knowing it.  Most of the time it is the gradual decline that goes by unnoticed on a day to day basis until all of a sudden we realize things are falling apart.  It is at that point that many people decide it is too much work to restore what is broken and they give up.  The good news is that we serve a God who specializes in restoration projects of all sizes!  When we realize things are falling apart, it is time to turn to God and allow the power of His Spirit to bring life back into that which has died.

I pray that you and I would live life to the full as we discover the adventure of life God has given us.  I pray that we would pay attention to the condition of our life and our relationships.  I pray that we would work on both our life and our relationships on a regular basis rather than waiting for things to get bad before deciding something needs done.  I pray that we would pay attention to maintaining the foundation and the unseen parts of our life rather than focus only on what people see.  I pray that we would turn to God for complete restoration when we are in need of a rebuilding that only He can do. 

Page 295 was a rainy day from beginning to end with just a short time of the sun trying to break through the clouds as it set.  So, with a plan to do some sightseeing on our fall break and and a day of rain, waterfalls seemed like a fitting subject.  The rain served two purposes, at least.  One, it provided water for the waterfalls during a season when waterflow over the falls is rather hit or miss.  All of the material we read about the falls we ended up visiting said they were “seasonal falls”, best viewed during the spring when the creeks were typically running with water.  Well, they were running with water today and the result was some very beautiful scenes to take in and photograph.  The second thing the rainy day did was to thin out the crowds.  Being in the peak of the fall color season, the information for the park we visited said parking was limited so during weekends in the fall you either needed to arrive early or park at the lodge and take a shuttle to the main hiking area.  Parking was definitely not a problem today!  But better than not having an issue with parking was the ability to take photos without them being filled with people who couldn’t get out of the way of every picture if they wanted to.  The one thing that can easily ruin outdoor plans actually improved ours today.

Today’s photo was taken at our final waterfall stop of the day after hiking all day up and down steps, through and alongside creek beds, over and even through rock formations, and even on a couple concrete handicap accessible pathways.  This one included a hike of about one half mile each way with half of it being stairs and half fairly level path.  It is always a bonus when we are able to spend a day together as a family, even doing something that is strenuous and especially difficult for Susan and have her talk all the way back home about her fun day.  

As I think about the day, I realize there are many times when I fail to even look for the silver-lining in a day of less than ideal circumstances.  Today was a reminder that the rainy-day circumstances can bring great beauty with them if we only know where to look.  Granted, rain isn’t a benefit to every activity or plan.  A number of years ago we visited Bush Gardens in Tampa, Florida on a rainy day.  After paying our admission and spending a short time at the park, we decided it wasn’t going to be much fun.  A number of the rides and attractions were closed because of the rain and there wasn’t anything that the rain was going to improve.  It was at a time when I valued money much more than I do now, but in a moment of clarity I remember saying, “Just because we spent the money doesn’t mean we have to waste the day.”  The money was gone, but the day wasn’t.  We left the park and went to the nearby science museum where they had a weather display.  A part of  it was showing radar images and we could see that the rain was somewhat local and by driving an hour further south we would be out of the rain and could enjoy a Florida beach day.  So, we drove south until we were under warm, sunny skies and then headed toward the coast where we found a beach that we still enjoy visiting when we have the opportunity.

So many times things don’t go according to our plans and we quickly give up on God being able to make anything good out of the circumstances we find ourselves in.  We know God’s promise but we often fail to see, or even look for, how it applies in our life today.  We may believe that God will cause everything to work for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, but doubt fills our mind and we conclude that only spiritually and only in the future when Jesus returns and makes everything right.  There is an element of truth in that belief, but not all of the good that God works together for us is to be done in some future, eternal time element — some of the good that He wants to bring into our lives is today, tomorrow, and/or the next day!

I pray that you and I would understand and welcome the good that God desires to fill our lives with.  I pray that we would see the beauty that He has in store for us and realize the magnificence of it is worth the work and rain we must endure in order to see it.  I pray that we would see the value of enjoying time together with family as being far greater than whatever dollar figure that might cost us.  I pray that we would look for the silver-linings in the clouds of life and thank God for providing them.

Page 294 was the first full day of our fall break and we made the most of it.  It was a family day of sightseeing with covered bridges being the theme.  We headed out around 9 AM and after 13 covered bridges, a variety of other beautiful scenes, and about 200 miles in the truck, we made it back to our starting point by 7 PM.  A few of the bridges had been relocated off their original sites to public places that weren’t always ideal settings for photos or authenticity.  One of the bridges is now on a county highway maintenance facility property with the ends closed in being used as a storage building or garage.  Most of them are no longer in use as traffic bridges, but allow pedestrian use.  And a couple of them still function as road bridges that are able to be driven across.  In between the bridge stops were a variety of rolling hills, one-lane gravel roads, beautiful vistas, and and a few old barns and churches that needed photographed. 🙂

The day began with difficulty finding the first bridge on our list as there was major road construction going on between where I was and where I wanted to be.  We finally made our way around the closed roads and found the first bridge for the day.  We arrived at the GPS coordinates of the next two bridges with no sign of either of them.  After looking for them for a short time, we skipped them and went on to find the next six on the list exactly where they were supposed to be.  Our route took us back by the two bridges I couldn’t find earlier.  After looking more closely at the GPS points on the map, it appeared that neither of them were on or near a roadway.  That information helped as we found the first one in the middle of a fairgrounds.  The next one was a little more of a challenge.  We narrowed down the location it should have been in but could still see nothing resembling a bridge.  It was in an area of businesses and commercial property so I finally went into the office of a concrete company and asked if there was a covered bridge nearby.  They pointed out theier door behind me and said it was the red building behind the county highway garage next door.  We had actually considered that until we looked more closely and it wasn’t a bridge, it was a building.  The information given was that the county had moved it there and closed in the ends to use it for storage.  

By mid-afternoon it began raining off and on, but that didn’t slow us down as it only added to the beauty of the day.  Today’s photo was taken late in the day as we drove between bridge stops and the rain and associated cold front created a mist hanging in the air throughout the hills.  This was actually on one of the nicer gravel roads that my GPS took me down today.  Several of the roads ended up being gravel tracks with grass and weeds growing down the center.  

As I think about the day, there are a number of things that were noteworthy but the thing that stands out the most to me is the difficulty in finding what you’re looking for when it isn’t where you expect it and it doesn’t look like you anticipate it to.  As a Christian it is important that we are not only built on the solid foundation of God’s Word, but that we stay on the foundation that our faith is built upon.  Not only is it important that our faith is built upon the foundation meant for it, it is also imperative that we look like the Christian that matches the name of Christ we wear.  Our witness is rather  unproductive if our life is not where we say it out to be as a follower of Christ.  When people are searching, are we where we say we will be in our walk with Christ?  Sometimes we wear the name Christian but we’ve completely changed what that looks like so it no longer resembles the Christ we are to represent.  

I pray that you and I would have the persistence to keep pursuing God when the obstacles of life get in our way.  I pray that we would be faithful in building, and keeping, our life on the true foundation of God’s Word.  I pray that we would hold fast to being a Christ-follower who seeks to look like Christ.

After a late night taking care of alarm system issues at work, page 293 began early with the usual cleaning and building prep for the school day.  The morning cleaning was filled with prayer and worship — helped along by the knowledge that fall break began for me once I was done for the day. 🙂  The school and preschool have Thursday and Friday off, so it’s a good time for me to take a break and do some sightseeing with my family.  With today being the transition day between work and rest/sightseeing, I didn’t take any photos.  I did see some photo-worthy scenes but didn’t have, or didn’t take, the opportunity to photograph them.  The photo on today’s page is from a couple years ago, but I chose it because of the deer I saw today.   I was driving when I saw them grazing alongside the road so I stopped, rolled down my window, and talked to them.  They looked up for a moment and then went back to grazing, undeterred by my presence.

For me, taking time to be deliberate about enjoying the beauty God surrounds us with helps me to notice it on a day-to-day basis.  Being able to take time to explore a variety of scenery with my family adds an extra value to what we see.  Whether it is lighthouse trips, covered bridge trips, state park trips, or whatever other focus we choose, there are always things to do and see together.  Sometimes we find what we’re looking for, sometimes we don’t, and other times we find more than we’re looking for.  The deer today were more than we were looking for, but always a joy to see them up close and unafraid.  They were obviously used to being around people and were not uncomfortable with my talking to them.  It made me think about the way people relate, or don’t relate, to God.  I cross paths with people on a regular basis who have no relationship with God and have no interest in building one.  They are like most wild deer running from people.  Any contact with the living God sends them running, as they’re not sure what to expect or even if they are safe in His presence.  It is through deliberate time with God that we begin to be comfortable, to a degree, in His presence.  I think of the line from “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis where the question is asked if Aslan is safe.  The response had to do with the fact he’s a lion — “of course he’s not safe . . . but He is good.”  When we spend consistent time with God, we discover that He is good even if He may not be considered “safe”.  

I pray that you and I would find times to take a break and be deliberate about observing the work of God around us.  I pray that our pursuit of God would be done both individually and together with the people God has brought into our lives.  I pray that we would pay attention to the lessons God desires for us to learn each day.  I pray that our time spent with God would increase both our desire and comfort of spending time with Him.  I pray that we would recognize God’s goodness at all times even when He challenges us to step outside of our comfort zones.

Page 292 found me at work by 6 AM to do the morning cleaning and get the building ready for the day.  Today’s photo is the view from my office window this morning that made me decide that today would be a good day to start getting things ready for cooler temperatures and the eventual arrival of winter.  Once the building was ready for the day, I spent some time making a mental list of the resources I would have on display at the International Conference on Missions next month so I could see what I needed to restock.  As I was working on that, I had a letter brought to me that had an interesting return address.  It seems to have been sent by, or on behalf of, a resident in a correctional facility in Florida.  I suppose the timing of it was interesting as I was working on ICOM material and even wondering if the investment I make in attending the conference and giving out resources really makes a difference.  The heart of the letter was a request for a 2017 daily Bible reading calendar.  As I looked at the quoted title, “Daily Bible Reading Calendar”, I realized there was only one way they would have requested that specific item from me at the Impact Prayer Ministry address.  Two years ago I had daily Bible reading calendars for 2015 imprinted with the Impact Prayer Ministry address and gave them out at the 2014 ICOM.  The title on the front was “Daily Bible Reading Calendar” and contained my contact info.  Somehow God took one of those calendars from my display in Columbus, Ohio and placed it in the hands of someone serving time in the Florida correctional system!  I did not buy any of the calendars last year and had not planned on doing so this year as I wasn’t sure the expense was worth it.  Needless to say, today’s letter changed my mind and I went online and ordered the calendars for 2017 so I will have them for ICOM and be able to send one to Florida to fulfill this person’s request.

After ordering the calendars, I headed out to mow.  It’s the time of year where each time I mow I think that perhaps it is the last for the season.  I suppose I will still run the mower a time or two to mulch/blow leaves as they fall on the lawn, but with cooler temperatures arriving I suspect the grass won’t be growing much more this season.  While the leaves are beautiful as they change colors and hang on the trees, they become work when they fall and collect on the lawn.  Many times in life we want the parts that are beautiful but we don’t want the work involved with the beauty.  

I finished the mowing in the middle of the afternoon and after putting things away for the day, I headed to lunch.  Lunch was followed by a little relaxing at home before heading to Sam’s Club, WalMart, and Meijer.  We made it back home by early evening and as I began to write today’s page I received a message that the alarm at work had been set off.  So, the writing was put on hold and I drove to work to check out the issue.  When I arrived, there were a variety of lights on in the building but no cars parked outside so I cautiously drove through the lot looking for any evidence of unwanted activity.  After checking out the building and finding no signs of foul play, I turned all the lights out then secured the building and rearmed the security system before heading home.  Alarm systems are designed to get our attention.  Occasionally, such as tonight, a false alarm is triggered by an unknown cause yet they need addressed every time they go off or they soon become useless.  God has designed our bodies, our minds, and our spirits with an alarm system of sorts.  His Spirit within us will warn us when things are not what they should be.  Physical and emotional pain serve as warnings that things in our life need to be addressed.  God gives us His Word to warn us of a day of judgment that will descend with all of God’s wrath on those who fail to heed His warning to be saved.  

I pray that you and I would pay attention to the signs of the times so we are ready for the day Christ will return.  I pray that we would recognize, and do, the work that needs to take place in order to fully experience the beauty of a relationship with God.  I pray that we would pay attention to the various means God uses to get our attention.  I pray that we would be wise stewards of everything God entrusts us with, but our doing so would be based on a wisdom that comes from God rather than from man’s wisdom.  I pray that we would always heed the warnings that we receive from God when things aren’t right.  I pray that we would warn others, not only of the danger faced by those outside of Christ, but that the warning would include the good news of how to avoid that danger.  

Sometimes when I write these daily pages it seems like an endless cycle, but that is only because I don’t remember the beginning and I can’t see the end.  Page 291 was a Monday which found me at the building early to get it cleaned and ready for the day.  The early morning hours were quiet and peaceful as I went about my work.  By the time the school day was set to begin, I was ready to settle into the Monday morning routine of sitting with God and writing a prayer guide for next week.  As I spent time in prayer, my mind reflected on life events, some recent and some not so recent.  In the midst of everything that life has held, it has been a great comfort to have God as my refuge.  It was with this in mind that I settled on the topic of refuge and some of the things that God says He is our refuge from.  Not only will next week’s prayer guide focus on how God is our refuge, it will also help to spend time in prayer about how we can reflect God’s nature by providing a refuge for those in need of one.

The photo with today’s page was taken last week at Potato Creek as I was out spending time with God.  While the park becomes a refuge — a safe place — for a wide variety of wildlife, it also becomes a location where I can take refuge from the chaos of the world and rest in the presence of God.  God expects us to live and be an active witness in the world but He also understands our need for a time and place of refuge.  Jesus set the example of taking time to withdraw from the hustle and bustle of life in order to spend time in prayer as He took refuge with His Father.

Once the prayer guide was complete I did some follow-up with our pest control service and then met with a sales rep for our janitorial supplies.  He had stopped by to drop off a promotional flyer for their sidewalk ice melt.  While I’m not ready to think about winter and the need for snow removal and ice melt, it is better to be reminded and prepared than to have no supplies when winter does eventually arrive.  The Bible teaches that the return of Jesus is coming.  That return is nearer now than it ever has been before.  While I can’t tell you the exact day or hour that the first snowfall will arrive this winter, I know that it is coming and I need to be prepared.  I also can’t tell you the exact day or hour that Jesus will return, but I know that He is coming and I need to be prepared.  Just as the salesman dropped by today with a warning, God’s Word gives us a warning regarding our need to be ready.  Not only do we need to be ready, but God has called each of us as His disciples to be the ones who would warn others of the judgment to come as we also share the good news that we can escape the coming wrath of God by being found in Christ.

I pray that you and I would realize that one day the routines of life will end and only the things that we have invested in the kingdom of God will last.  I pray that we would recognize God as our refuge, an ever-present help in time of need.  I pray that we would be a conduit for people in need of a refuge to find that safe place in Christ.  I pray that we would allow our times alone with God to recharge us for the work He has called us to.  I pray that we would walk fully in His presence even in the times we are surrounded by people.  I pray that we would understand the times and live as ones ready for the return of Christ.  I pray that we would share a warning with the people around us who need reminded that the return of Jesus is drawing near.

Page 290 was a day with no new photos — at least not yet — although the photo I chose for today’s page was taken last night on my way to bed after I had written yesterday’s page. 🙂  I found it fascinating that the moon, which has no light of its own, shines with such brilliance even on a cloudy night by actively reflecting the light of the sun.  I wonder how well you and I do in actively reflecting the light of the Son, particularly on the cloudy days of our life.   As I got up and around for church this morning, I realized that this week’s prayer guide had not gone out.  I don’t know if there was a glitch in the system I use or if I forgot to schedule it, but I spent the Sunday School hour correcting whatever oversight there was so the prayer guide would go out to the mailing list — a little late, but hopefully all in good time for those who use it.  The message during the church service today was another one in the series from the book of Nehemiah.  The focus today was on finishing strong as we finally reached the point where Nehemiah writes that the work on the walls of Jerusalem was complete.  

I love the story of Nehemiah and I use his example in some of the prayer teaching I do.  Sometimes as you get into the story that is written down for us, it is easy to forget that this part of the story began with Nehemiah being the cupbearer to the king.  It doesn’t begin with a prophet, a priest, a political leader, a military leader, or any other role that we may expect to find as the central figure in the rebuilding of the city walls of Jerusalem.  His upbringing, his training, his experiences in life were not what anyone would have looked for in recruiting and hiring for such an important task — well, anyone but God!  God called him to such a great work because he was a willing servant who didn’t just pray to fill time or to check it off his schedule, he prayed because it was an integral part of his life relationship with the living God.  

The message this morning addressed two aspects of finishing strong that we find exemplified in the life of Nehemiah.  The first is to live a life of perseverance.  While the “gracious hand of his God” upon him made it appear easier than it actually was, the reality is that Nehemiah began, and finished, a great task even in the midst of opposition.  While it might sound a bit simplistic, one of the necessary keys to finishing strong is to finish!  When we’re involved in the work God has called us to, you can be sure that the enemy will try every tactic possible to get us to just quit.  God says that the crown of life is given to those who finish the race — those who are faithful to the end.  Nehemiah faced opposition from those who were enemies and from those who should have been friends.  Often the opposition was relentless and would come with many twists and turns trying to get him to give up on the task God had called him to.  Too often we like to think that doing the work of God ought to silence any opposition because who would oppose God.  Yet pride takes up residence in the hearts of many and in doing so creates an opposition to the things of God.

The second part of finishing strong is what makes the perseverance possible — we must be persistent in prayer.  From the opening moments of the book of Nehemiah where we find him receiving the news about how bad things are in Jerusalem, we find a persistent prayer life in Nehemiah.  What remains unwritten, but visible by Nehemiah’s comfort in going to God in prayer, is the persistent prayer life that he had even prior to the events that we read about.  Persistence in prayer doesn’t just happen and when bad news comes our way, the depth of our prayer life will typically reflect the depth that it had prior to the bad news.  Granted, bad news may create a greater urgency in our prayer life and often leads to a growth in the persistence of it, but persistence takes practice and practice takes time, and time takes commitment.  Ever step of the way, and often in the middle of each step, we find Nehemiah going to God in prayer.  His persistent prayer life resulted not only in a finished wall, but in all of the surrounding peoples acknowledging that the work was done by the gracious hand of Nehemiah’s God.

I pray that you and I would seek to reflect God’s light no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.  I pray that we would understand the importance of remaining faithful to God.  I pray that our desire to be found faithful would lead us to a life of perseverance.  I pray that we would grow in a lifestyle of prayer so that persistent prayer would simply be our way of life.