Time Out To Look

   Yesterday, after the early service, we decided to take a few minutes and go to the beach. It is something that we don't often do, in fact, although we live here in such a beautiful place, we don't take advantage of what we have so much of the time.

   Of course, I took my camera with me, just in case. Doug had loaned me a zoom lens, and I just had to experiment with it a little.

   Looking through the eye of the lens causes me to be more aware of what is around me, and reminds me also of how blessed we are to live here. God has put things in our path, so that we may know Him and appreciate the time that we have.

   So, what did I find yesterday, a windy day at the beach, but with plenty of sunshine and filled with the creative powers of a God that desires for us to know Him through the beauty of His Creation.

   Take time to look around and see that God is Good.

Making History

   While on our way through the state on Thursday, one of our courthouse stops was in Millen, GA, county seat of Jenkins County. This county of approximately 8,000 residents treated us to part of their local history and current events, and it got me to thinking about how we look at our past and still contemplate our future.

   Here is the courthouse, the original one built in 1908, destroyed by fire in 1910, rebuilt in the same style in 1912:

   The courthouse lawn was graced with a familiar icon, a statue of the confederate soldier with an inscription to honor their service for their new country.

   Idealized? Perhaps, but the marker attempts to keep alive the best qualities of the youth that fought in that conflict.

   As I pondered all of that, the noise of drums began somewhere behind me. A man standing nearby explained that it was one of the big days in Millen, High School Homecoming and its parade and Friday night football game. Then here came the parade around the corner:

   And the local heroes of the season:

   And I thought, "what would history say about them 150 years from now?"

   Interestingly enough, there was a float talking about "making history" that weekend in the football game. The accompanying sign gave the projected final score with the kids from Jenkins County on top of Montgomery County 20-13.

   In a way, we all "make history" every day of our lives. Maybe not the kind that rates a monument in front of the county courthouse, but perhaps a life that makes a positive difference in the lives of others. There is a greater reward than a monument.

   The soldiers of the Confederacy lost the war, and the boys of Jenkins County lost the homecoming game to Montgomery 35-14, but the world did not end. The sun came up on Saturday morning, and there would be other chances to "make history" for them and for me.

   Carpe Diem

On Closer Inspection

   Yesterday, as we traveled home, we took a little, well, maybe a lot, of time to visit some more of Georgia's courthouses. Some were old, some were newer, but all had their unique features. A particular part of many of the older ones is the clock tower and is a distinguishing landmark as you enter some of these smaller county seats. Standing above the town, it must have been the focal point for life in its shadow.

   I thought this morning that there must be a message in these for me, maybe for all of us. Let me illustrate.

   From a distance, most all of these buildings look grand. Here are two from yesterday:

   First from Hancock County in Sparta, GA.

   Then the one from Jefferson County in Louisville, GA

   They both look pretty good, but let's take a look at the clock towers in each:

   Hancock, again

   Jefferson, again

   Sometimes, from a distance, I might look good and right, but on closer inspection, I am missing some parts and not working at all.

   Could it be that I keep you at long range so you will not see all my flaws?

   I can do all in my power to make you think I am good,

   But........

Being Ready For Today and Tomorrow, Whatever Comes

   This was never meant to be a prophecy blog, but somehow the Scripture passages of the three items I read this morning seem to lead in that direction. Maybe I should just let them speak for themselves.

   From the Psalm reading, from Psalm 83:

    "O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate you have raised their heads.

They lay crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against your treasured ones.

They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”"

   Does this not sound like the former president of Iran? Perhaps the "crafty plans" include the new head of the government there, with his more conciliatory remarks toward Israel and the West.

   Then there is this from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4, the words of Jesus:

 “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

   Does this fit in also?

   Then what about this, from the Moravian Daily Reading for September 26:

"But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

   There must be something in all of this, since it lines up so well.

   Now I don't pretend to know all that is going on, but the implication for me in all of the passages I have quoted this morning is for me to be ready.

   I live in a day like no other, It has never come before, and I do not know the plans of God. I only know He is in control and that my only task is to serve.

   So I want to be ready to serve in whatever way He leads for this particular day, and I want to be ready for what He has in store for tomorrow also.

   Be Ready

Thankful on the Road

   My first thought this morning is that it is so hard to write a blog post when you are on the road, but I think that it is more than that. As I sit in the relative quiet of a strange room, in the not-so-early morning, I think it is more the not connecting with God in this way that is the most missed ingredient of the day.

   Sure, there are the snatched moments of prayer, even the time spent in worship in a church that is not home, but it is not like the quiet hour or so of directed energy toward God, His Will and His Way.

   I look forward to those times of meditation and of writing my thoughts, because they seem to center my life in the place where He wants me to be, but it is hard with the change of venues most days, and the fatigue of constant doing and travel.

   So  I am thankful for this morning, with its maybe small window of opportunity, and I pray that God will meet me here and acknowledge my effort, that I at least tried to take time to seek Him, and I thank Him for what I have received from it. Maybe nothing profound, but He has shown me that my desire for all of this comes from Him, and I can look forward to longer times if He gives them to me.

   It is not a "thank goodness I got something in this day and will not have to feel guilty about not having a quiet time" thing, but just a simple feeling of knowing that my need and desire for fellowship is right and is a good thing. I know He and I are on the same page about that, anyway.

   Time snatched out of a busy schedule? Maybe not the amount of time that I really want, but even this has the sense of " I understand and I hear you and love you through this also".

   And that speaks to me.

   And I am thankful for that.

What, No Drums?

   Did you ever walk into a place that you had never set foot in before, and felt it was like home?

   That happened to me this morning. We are visiting some friends in Franklin, NC, and we all went into town this morning to worship at the First Methodist Church. It was like stepping back into time, into a version of worship that just felt right to me.

   Walking through the back doors of the sanctuary into a room with stained glass windows all around, sun light shining through into the room, an atmosphere that seemed to invite us in, a place of peace.

   Perhaps it was nostalgia, a longing for a time long ago, when this was a safe place and a place of quiet and reverence. As we slipped into a pew, it just felt like we belonged.

   Then as I looked at the bulletin for this morning, I realized that I actually knew all the hymns and even the closing refrain which was more modern, but no less meaningful. Even the prelude, by the handbells, was music lifted from a piece by Dvorak entitled "Going Home", that was also a favorite of mine

   The the music that the congregation sang, from hymnals no less:

   Jesus Calls Us O'er the Tumult
   The Solid Rock

   The handbells played "Lead On O King Eternal"

   The congregation sang "Jesus Loves Me" as the children's portion of the service began.

   We sang the Doxology and the Gloria Patri, both staples in services that I grew up in.

   We all sang the Congregational Response to the message by the pastor, "Here I Am, Lord"

   How great is it to be able to sing along with others, all of us lifting our voices in worship, together.

   As I asked before, nostalgia? Maybe, but I sensed it was more. At least this was for me, true congregational worship, something that is missing from a lot of contemporary services where the songs are too new to sing, and the music too loud to hear anyone else around us singing.

   I loved it and did not miss the drums at all.

   And I was grateful to be able to be there and participate.

 

Great Revelations, A Necessity?

   What happens when I seem to do all the right things to insure hearing from God and there are no great revelations in the offing? Does it mean that all my time is wasted and that I should have just stayed in bed? Should I expect insights into eternal things as a given and be disappointed when they don't appear?

   Do I cry out with the psalmist as he begs in Psalm 71:

"Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails."
   or further on in the same passage:

"And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me

   I get up early, I read my designated passages, I walk and enjoy the quiet of the early morning, and then I come back in ready to be wowed by some great insight that I can take in and then communicate to any who might read what I write today.

   But then nothing great comes. Could it be that there is sin in my life that blocks this transmission? I definitely do sin, and that can be a hinderance surely. So I think and reflect on my life and confess what I see, but still nothing jumps out at me from anything that I read and reread.

   The question may not be in what I am looking for, but in what I am overlooking in the process. Is it a question of what I can get from God each time I sit down, or is it what God wants to give me in any of these times?

   Perhaps that is the Great Revelation that is there for me right now.

   Perhaps it is not the mountaintop "aha" moments that define my life, but the living out of the things that He has already made known. Life is lived out in those valleys between the mountains.

   Let me celebrate those times and walk in obedience to them.

   That is great

Seeking What?

   The first words, in a small devotional book, for today, September 18, 2013 are "Seek to please me", the me being Jesus. This makes me pause and wonder, "who am I trying to please?"

   That is not so easy a question to answer truly. The Christian in me wants to blurt out, "God, Jesus, Holy Spirit", but is that just the response that I want people to think I would say, or need to say?

   Seeking is a powerful word. Not just looking for something, but searching hard with a given purpose in mind, doing it with diligence, with perseverance,  with vigor. This is not an idle pursuit, it is a quest.

   The Bible, in Matthew 6, says:

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness"

   Then I have to ask the question: "What do I seek? What is my first priority?"

   A new day opens up before me. Opportunities abound for doing stuff. A bunch of choices will come my way. I have free will to make the choice I want. What will I do? Will I even think about the magnitude of a possible choice before I make it and go my way?

   I can even think seriously about seeking right now and forget the whole exercise in a few minutes. How much harder to keep it up for the whole day, or a whole lifetime?

   Preaching to myself is an easy thing to do, especially in this quiet time where no one sees or hears, but are these just words that I write or prayers that I utter silently?

   Seeking to please God. maybe, for me, some of the time, but how about the times I seek to please me or I seek to please others around me? Wanting to please God is easy to write or say, but how hard is it to live on a consistent basis?

   I confess I do not know that much about this "seeking". I kinda understand the word, but I don't have the life experiences to prove it out.

   God help me to live this day in a seeking mode, not for myself, but for You.

   Truly seeking.  Where could that take me, what journey?

 

My Plans

   I thought about this yesterday when I wrote. It came back to mind last night as Mayre and I were planning a little trip, and again early this morning as I went out to breakfast and then to the courts to play tennis.

   So many times my ideas seem to be the right way to go, but then changes come. I can be upset or just go with the flow. I know in my mind that there are things out there that I cannot see, situations that will be there as the time unfolds, that I would not have seen or been involved in if I had insisted on going my way regardless.

   It is like that last Sunday morning at the pier. Until I looked behind me, away from the sunrise that I was trying to photograph, did I see something spectacular. Too many times I plan ahead because I "know" the best way for things to work out, just like that sunrise shot, then look back and realize something much better has happened, a thing that was not at all on my radar.

   My youngest son put a post on Facebook Sunday, telling the world (or at least that part that has him for a "friend" on their pages) of his accomplishment in completing a half marathon that morning. He was proud of his time and the fact that he could run the 13.1 miles and not die. I commented on his picture and asked if he had lost weight during his training. Maybe so and maybe not, he did not say, but it made me think way back to my days of running.

   I began running back in the 70s. My oldest son was a good runner in high school and college and I wanted to be able to run with him sometimes (if he would condescend to slow down for me). My plan was just to run a bit, get in better shape and do something with him. But I got the bug and began longer distances and times. I started out with a 3 minute jog and continued on a schedule, a little bit more each week, that allowed me to run a full marathon in the 80s ( a story for another day). I had fun and my plan was working, but there was an unexpected and unplanned for surprise in all of this. Not only did I feel better but I managed to lose about 50 pounds in the process.

   So, as I looked back, I realized that God had more in His plan than I did in mine, and His plan was much better than mine, even though they were comprised of some of the same things. This verse comes to mind from Isaiah:

"“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord."

   One translation uses the word plan for ways, and it seems to fit.

   Sometimes my plans seem to be radically changed. Sometimes the path is not the one I would choose on my own, and sometimes the outcome is not what I had in mind although the path seemed the same. Then I think of another verse. From Jeremiah this time:

" For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

   I rode my bike to the tennis courts this morning, under a cloudy sky with thunder rumbling, and only got in one game before the storm came. I wanted to play, it is fun and good exercise, but I remembered the verses and thought "wonder what this new path will look like today?"

   I know I have to plan. There is just no profit in floating along, but then I need to commit these prospective plans to God, not to get Him to bless my plans, but to let Him have the freedom to change or tweak them as He knows best.

   I read, after I got home from the aborted game, these words in Jesus Calling:

"You will not find My peace by engaging in excessive planning, attempting to control what will happen to you in the future. Commit everything into My care. Turn from the path of planning to the path of peace."

   My path and His may run along the same way, or they may be completely different, but I know which is the better one. His has the signposts that point in the direction of blessing.

 

 

There is a Time to Look Back

   "Of course, that is easy for you to say". That is what I hear in my mind, the thoughts of others as I pen those words in the title of this post. "You have a lot more time in the past than you will have in the life you have left." Which is true, but is there not some value in looking back?

   Take for example, yesterday morning Mayre and I went to the pier early, me for some photography and her for accompaniment. As I focused on the sunrise over the ocean to the east, I was prompted to look around, and there was this cloud formation, with not only the light of the sunrise reflecting on it, but also some generation of lightening as a small storm passed over Jekyll to the south.

   There are things to be learned from contemplating what has gone on before. Where have I come from? How have those influences of the past shaped my present? Did I expect to be where I am now, both in terms of situation and of living? How did I get here and why?

   The psalmist writes in Psalm 139:

"Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them."

   God is not bound by the restraints of time. Past, present and future are all bound up in His knowledge and will. As I try to be in the center of that will, seeing where I have come from seems to be a profitable exercise on my part.

   Am I more of the man that God planned for me or wanted me to become? Am I even aware of His plans for me? Do I care about His plans or mine?

   If I am honest I say, "Sure I want to be in His will. I want to accomplish something for Him. I want Him to be pleased with me, for I know that it will be the most blessed place for me, and my life will be that blessing for others also."

   I know I cannot live in the past or the future, only the present, but that fact does not mean that I can't learn from and be encouraged by the past.

   Just like the cloud I saw yesterday morning, there is an element of storm in that look behind, but there is also the promise of a new day.

   It is well worth the time to take that look, just don't dwell there.

 

A Voice Out of the Past

   The phone rang the other day, and a voice on the other end of the line asked a question; Is this Don Bowman, to which I answer tentatively, expecting some sort of sales pitch, "yes it is, what can I do for you?"

   Then another question; "are you the Don Bowman who was a school teacher?" I replied again in the affirmative, wondering who this was I supposed to know them from somewhere. I could not place the voice and wondered if it was a long ago student.

   The caller must have noticed my hesitancy and said, "this is ________, remember me?"

   Truthfully I said "no" and he proceeded to tell me he was with me on a Kairos walk at Ware State Prison some years back. Having worked with 42 guys on each walk, and having served on the teams for at least 10 walks, there was the possibility of him being one of 420 men that participated on that 4 day Christian retreat in that prison over that time period.

   But then he went on to tell me why he had called. He just wanted to thank me for taking the time to come to prison and minister there. He thanked me for the time that I had spent with him and how much it meant that a man from the "outside" would take the time to come and just treat him like a member of the human race.

   So many times those men had been treated as faceless, less than human, and forgotten by a society that valued them as worthless. Just to have someone acknowledge them, and talk with them, and be interested in them could be a powerful thing in their lives.

   What did we talk about? What did I say to him? It could have been about Jesus, or it could have been about college football, who could remember? What mattered was that one person was in need and another saw them, not as a number, but as an individual face.

   Now I don't relate all of this to say how good I am, God knows that is not true, but to remind myself about the importance of people that He puts into my life, some for a brief moment and some for a long time. Seeing them, really seeing them, can make a huge difference. Chance encounters? No way!

   I think of my three kids, not kids but adults now, and all working in some part of the education process. At the beginning of each school year, or each term, they do not know who will be in their classes or their labs or even on their campuses. God has placed them in that particular spot, and He alone knows the impact that one person can have in their lives. He knows  those needy ones, what they are looking for, and what He has in store for their lives. Each of us only have one responsibility, to see them as important and to minister where He leads.

   But instead of patting myself on the back for helping to raise 3 good kids who are making an impact on the lives of young people (and I acknowledge that my good wife was the most responsible for the positive outcomes), and not remembering that I did such an awesome job in prison, which I definitely did not, I see the many times that I have not seen so many that have come my way. Whether I have been too busy with my own things or what, I have not been engaged.

   God reminds me yet again to see the people he puts there in my life, for whatever time period, and be sensitive enough to treat them as He would have me do.

   Sometimes a conversation, sometimes a quick word, and sometimes maybe just a smile, but something to say, "You are worth something and I show love to you because God does love you." Jesus' words from Matthew 25:

"Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me."

   Let that not be said of me, please.

 

Go Ahead and Smile

   As I was walking down the hallway in the condo last evening, I realized I was smiling. I could feel the muscles in my face move and form that look. I was not thinking of anything in particular, just a general feeling of happiness. That is a good way to feel.

   If I had taken the time to sit down and analyze all the facets of my life, I'm sure I could have found a bunch of things that I would wish were better, but I did not do that, just smiled my way along and felt a peace about it all.

   When I read the Psalm 50 reading for this morning, this verse was at the end:

"The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly
I will show the salvation of God!”

   It did not appear to me to be any sacrifice to be thankful, it just felt right. I remember the phrase "God's in His heaven, all's right with the world", and it seemed to fit my mood.

   Maybe it was the fact that I had been reading a book about a young man who was riding his bike from England to India, detailing all the problems he was facing along the way, but it seemed more than "I'm glad that is not me".

   And it was still here this morning, as I woke up to begin a new day. The theme of "a new day" seems to be prevalent in my thoughts these days. As I finished the Gospel reading, there was another verse that seemed written to me:

"When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.”

   One thought triggers another, and I remembered a small devotional book I had distributed in the prison ministry, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young, so I found one, read the thought for September 12 and then went back and read the introduction.

   Ms. Young goes into some detail about how she had come to write this little book. It all stems from her quiet times with God in the morning hours, an idea that resonates with me as well.

   I like the quiet morning times, but it is not only the absence of noise that makes a time meaningful, it is the channeling of my thoughts away from my schedule and plans and toward Him. Even as I walk, I can focus on Him, His world, His words, and I can "be still and know that He is God".

   I have not always done this. Perhaps it is retirement that gives me the time and inclination to pursue this course, but I now realize that it could have been done even when I had a much busier life, and I wish it had.

   Go ahead and smile.

   Jesus is calling

A Green Soda Can

   This morning I was looking back at some of my pictures, ones that I took on last Sunday at the pier in the early morning. It was easy to relive that scene all over again with the various people that came out to see the sunrise. It was indeed a vibrant beginning to that day.

   Remembering the sunlight on the pier, almost deserted in that time, but alive in that early color scheme that a sunrise paints on everything it touches.

   Then I see another picture, and I think about the difference in what I saw there:

   A splash of color in a gray landscape. A hint of brightness in a sea of ordinary.

   I thought of how I had noticed it, sitting alone on the table where men had cut bait, or cleaned fish as they went about preparing or ending their fishing experience the night before. A cheap can of soda, emptied no doubt as a refreshing part of the night's work, but making a new impact at that moment.

   I thought about the other people who had ventured out onto that sunlit pier. What had their thoughts been as they walked? I'm sure some came happy and glad, but there may have been others that were moving along in a field of gray tones, not seeing what God had in store for them in the bright colors of the ocean sunrise.

   The can was there in plain view, waiting to be noticed, waiting for someone to smile and remark about it's color, and the sun beginning to brighten it, waiting for an individual to be jostled from their black and white and mostly gray spirit to a world of color.

   Can God use a discarded empty can of Chek cola to speak to a person who needs a good word? Sure, and I realize again that He can use me, too, if I am available to His urging.

   Look around at the world, see those people in need and at least be willing to let the light of God's love reflect off you to those who need it.

   If a green can can do it, I can too.

Sunrise Revisited

   A haunting question stays with me from yesterday. Even though I did feel that God wanted me to open my eyes to the beauty all around me in that sunrise hour, and I am sure that it was right to do so, was there more that I should have noticed, or, if I noticed, do something for or about?

   I took all my shots from the pier that juts out into the Sound from the Village area of St. Simons. When I got there, well before dawn, there were only two people on that pier, one looking at his smart phone and the other mending his crab net. I spoke to both and went on my way out to where I could get an unobstructed view of the lighthouse, which was my focal point.

   As I shot and watched the progress of the sunrise, I interacted with several others who came to see that special part of the day. There were:

   An older couple who just sat and waited for the sun to come up

   A Mother and daughter, I presume, who were taking pictures also, of the sun and each other

   Another couple who sat and talked and then took some IPad pictures

   A fisherman, who moved to the other end of the area and set up his gear

   A county patrolman, who came out to take a shot to email back to his wife who was in Virginia

   I noticed all of these, but was so busy looking for the perfect shot, that they were just there, not important at all. But were they? Did God send them my way for a reason?

   Sure, I talked to each one, was nice and acknowledged their presence, but my stuff was too important to let them get in the way.

   It was a Sunday morning, and each of those others were out there to reflect in the beauty of that moment in time. As I reflected later yesterday, I realized that my shot settings on the camera and getting the lighting correct, were the important things to me.

   When my agenda is more important than the people around me, then my priorities are out of whack.

   So, even though I did get some good pictures, I probably lost the opportunity to show several people that they were important, maybe more important than my camera, and that was probably not God's agenda.

   I said yesterday that God told me to open my eyes and see, but there was more than the colored sky and the ball of fire rising out of the ocean, there were real live people out there.

   The sun will come up another day, and I might be there to see it, but those particular people may not ever cross my path again, and I failed to pay attention.

   Rats!

   Maybe I don't only need to open my eyes, but see through God's as well.

Sometimes Things Happen

   Sometimes when I get up early, like I did this morning, I look for answers to some problem or concern, or I look for a course of action that will be right. It is easier for me to think and pray when there is little distraction, and the concentration just comes.

   But these times do not always produce the answer or a clear path to follow. The way is still murky and out of focus, and I am concerned that I have not heard what I sought.

   Then there comes the admonition: Just look around, open your eyes and see.

   So, I did this morning and here is what I was confronted with:

Is the way still a little murky, and are the concerns still there? Sure they are, but they don't seem as significant and troublesome as before.

I thank God for eyes to see and time to spend looking.

Now, to quote a Nike commercial "Just Do It"

Pride and Restoration

   While we were passing through Eufaula, AL a few weeks ago, we made a stop and I took some shots of older homes on the main street. Most of these were well kept up and currently lived in, but there was one that looked like this:

   One day, back in the past, this home was probably the pride and joy of someone, but it had evidently fallen on some hard times. I don't know its history, but it appeared to have been abandoned and become run down from neglect. Someone must have bought it and begun the restoration, perhaps with the idea of making their residence in that neighborhood.

   What had once been someone's pride was now an eyesore in a neighborhood of beautiful homes. If that house had feelings, it must have been crying, and maybe saying, "Hey, you look at me now and feel sad, just like I do, but once I was proud and beautiful, and people drove by and pointed with respect. Once I was something, but now...., well perhaps again one day"

   Can this verse, from Psalm 31, fit in here?

"The Lord preserves the faithful
but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride."

   Pride is a subtle thing. It is very easy to let it be a dominant force in your life, or mine.

   Pride in what I have......remember that it is God that gives the blessings

   Pride in what I can do or have done......remember that God gives the strength and abilities

   Even pride in servanthood......ever felt pride in being humble?

   I am often there. Someone can say, "I like what you wrote", or "Your pictures have such feeling", or any other compliment about my life, and I can puff up and feel real good about myself, and what I can do. Then I have to stop and think about why I do these things. Is it to impress others or does it go deeper?

   Some times I fear it's pretty shallow, but at other times I get the feeling that God wants me to share my story and thoughts with others, not so I might be praised, but so that they (whoever "they" are) might have an "aha moment", or at least be able to say "that is me, also".

   I realize, with the Psalmist, that God's repayment of acts of pride may not be fun, and that my life may take on the appearance of that old Alabama house, but God can bring the restoration and make it beautiful again.

   I confess, and I ask for forgiveness, and another chance at usefulness.

 

Day, Night and Light

   These verses from John 9 this morning:

"We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

   Then these from Psalm 37:

"The Lord knows the days"

   Maybe it was just because I have been looking for an excuse to use this picture of a light:

   but, the ideas of my days, night and light seem to come together as I walked this morning.

   The gist of the Psalm 37 passage is that God knows all of my days, those that I have lived, but also those that are left in this life. I can't know how many or how few are allotted to me, and my responsibility is to live them in such a way that He is glorified and that others are blessed. Since I cannot know how many future days there are, the only day that I can work in is the one that I am living inside right now. Today is that day. Use it wisely.

   Jesus says in that John 9 passage that I need to work while it is day, for the night is coming when no man can work. Night is the time when my eyes are closed, either in sleep or in death. I can't work if I can't see, and that is why it is imperative that I do His work while those daylight hours are available. Again, it is the use of the lighted hours, corresponding to those days I have, that need to be used rightly.

   It is hard for me to do much work with the help of that light I pictured. That night light is good for pushing back some of the darkness, but for detailed work, it is just inadequate.

   Jesus says that He is the Light, and His light is what I need to see clearly how to use this day that I have been given.

   When I was 40 or 50 or even 60, it seemed like there were still a lot of days out in front of me, but I could not know. How many opportunities were missed to serve because I did not live fully the day that I was given? I wonder, but can't dwell too long on that.

   I have this day and I need to use it, and I need to use the proper light source.

   God helping me, I pray.

Auto Focus or Manual?

   I read this in Psalm 28 this morning:

"The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;"
   Sometimes I think that God has allowed me to have this photography hobby in my life to point out lessons that I need to learn. Lessons of life and trust and humility, and not just those of taking good pictures.

   Yesterday my post was all about things I saw in someone else's backyard and I used a few shots that I had seen there, and I enjoyed doing that, even though any great relevance to life was missing. I was just fun for me, both the taking and the posting of those pictures.

   Then, in the afternoon, Mayre and I went to walk on the beach. Most of the Labor Day tourists had departed for home, so I took my camera, just in case something popped up that looked interesting. I took some shots, but with the sun and the water and the sand, it just seemed better to take them on auto focus rather that do all of that myself.

   I had read, and others had told me also, that good photographers use the manual focus mode to frame and compose their shots, rather than relying on the features of the camera, so I have been trying to use that and to do the work myself.

   I shot away but had the feeling that something was not quite right. Even though I had decided because of the light factors that I would use the auto focus mode, I did not feel that the camera was operating correctly. It was difficult to see, after taking and reviewing the shot, if I was getting the sharp focus that I wanted..

   But I kept on, and it was not until we got back into the car and I got ready to put the camera away, that I realized that, even though I had changed the mode to auto, I had not changed the lens to auto focus. It was still in manual, and I had tried to take all those shots on auto when the lens would not allow me to do it. My trust was in the mode, but I had kept it from operating because I had kept the control of the process for myself.

   How that is like my life a lot of the time. I want to let God take over and do it, but I keep the control in my own hands. Then I realize that it is not working and He has to remind me again why.

   So there I go again, messing it up and wondering then realizing why.

   Too soon old and too late smart.

   Help me to trust and rely on You, God and not on my own manual controls.

Life in the Backyard

   Yesterday some friends invited us over for supper and games. Before we left home to go, they called again and said to be sure to bring the camera. They had spotted a large spider in the backyard and thought it might make a good photo.

   We did and it was and here it is, a writing spider:

   While I was out in their yard, I decided to see what else might be worthy of some attention, and here are some of the things I found.

   Something needs to be cleaned, I guess:

   A clock, not for telling time but for decoration:

   A bench that looks lonely:

   A cherub waiting for a visit:

   A watering can, not used for watering:

   A toucan decorating a palm tree:

   And the sunset as I ran out of light to do more:

   All in all, a good time, along with great food and a competitive game.

   A fun way to end the 2013 Labor Day.