Is It Not Enough?

   At the end of my Bible reading this morning, I turned to a pastor's blog listed on the side of another's page of links. A quote from this:

"The world owes you nothing.  Entitlement has swept across our nation like a tsunami, and in its wake is endless debris of unmet expectations."

   We can all get caught up in this attitude and expectation. I know I can.

   Just this morning, I woke up early. Even though the bed was nice and warm, I knew I needed to get up. My last two days had been busy, from the early hours to the nighttime, and I had missed my quiet time both days. When I miss, I feel it. I know I need it, and feel a little guilty about my schedule.

   So I found myself up early, in my quiet room, my computer open to the readings of the day, as I prayed for God to show up. I needed that, not only for that particular time but for guidance for the rest of another pretty busy day. Since I had foregone sleep, I guess I felt like I deserved His presence in a tangible way.

   When I read I could see the words, and I could realize that there was truth there, but just did not see how it was what I wanted in this time. Continuing on through some other sources, I began to get disappointed that God was not making me aware of His presence.

   Was I not entitled to at least hear something profound from Him, after all I had forsaken sleep just to be there and receive? Was it not enough sacrifice on my part to at least get a small notice?

   Then I thought, as I read the quote above, how quick I am to place my own expectations ahead of what God might have for me. After all, did I not pray before falling asleep last night, that He would get me up to hear from Him?

   And was it not enough that He did, and put me in the place where I needed to be? Maybe it was enough that He loved me enough to put me here to hear this message. A message of my supposed entitlements, and the way He takes care of His "sparrows".

   I was reminded of a scene from yesterday. I had an early morning meeting, but had my camera in the car as I drove down the road. Realizing I had a few minutes, I detoured quickly to a spot where I might see how the day began in the east.

   We were due to have rain that day, and the sky was filled with clouds, gray and heavy, hanging over the whole landscape. Then I noticed a line of lighter sky between the layers on the horizon.

   My expectations were of a non-event, a gray cloudy morning, which it was, but still there was that acknowledgement that the sun was rising, given for a brief moment before the rains came, and, with it, the surety that God was still in control.

   It was enough...

A Morning Progression

   Yesterday, up early and on my way to put on the coffee for church, I realized that sunrise was not till 7AM, and, if I got in and did the coffee thing right then, I could catch a colorful moment in the area behind the church property. So I did.

   It was still night and fairly dark when I arrived.

   The birds were singing like it was Spring, the air was still and the gnats were not up and about yet. In the midst of waiting for the sky to lighten, I sensed movement off to my left side. I had my camera on the tripod, so I quickly altered my position on the viewing platform, pointed the camera toward the north and shot. I knew that if there was something out there, I might be able to lighten the scene in the computer and see it close up.

   I figured it was one of the fallow deer that lived in the area around the church. Sure enough, I saw a brown shadow coming out of the marsh and making his way toward the middle of the lot about 100 yards away. A close inspection of this dark shot will show a brown male deer close to the middle of the picture.

   Although the shot did not turn out too well, here is what I had seen.

   Then as the deer moved back into the marsh area, the sun began to peek over Sea Island, and the real day was beginning.

   What a morning to be alive!

   There is an older hymn that I recalled: When Morning Guilds the Skies, beginning like this:

  When morning gilds the skies

 my heart awakening cries:  
 May Jesus Christ be praised! 

   What a way for a Sunday, or any day, to begin.

   Thankful to be alive.
 

 

Posing Pete

   A photo that I took the other day came to my mind this morning:

   The brown pelican, the one I named "Posing Pete" because of his unflappable attitude toward those people on the pier the other day who crowded around him with their cameras, is a complex creation. In reading about how he mates, how he lives, the way his body is acclimated to his environment, his eyesight that allows him to see his food in the water, and all the other ways that God has given him his place in our world, I am amazed of the complexity of this bird.

   But it is not just this one feathered creature, it is all through the created order. All of the other flora and fauna of this world are amazing. And it is not just this earth, it is the universe beyond, too. All planned by God for something, a lot of which man does not even realize yet.

   God's plans, His Story, one already written that is playing out in my world right now.

   In reading Genesis 50 this morning, the continuing story of Joseph and his brothers, Joseph speaks to them:

"Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid. Do I act for God? Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people. Easy now, you have nothing to fear; I’ll take care of you and your children.” He reassured them, speaking with them heart-to-heart."

   God had a plan, Joseph saw it in hindsight and realized a part of it that had taken place right where he lived, but the brothers did not, and continually worried about their fate because of their actions.

   Pete was not visibly worried about the things that went on around him. His eyes were open.

   God has a plan for me also. Without knowing the whole story line or the ending, I can live in my own little place, in my moment, and trust Him.

   The complexities of the world are many, but they are all in His plan.

   I see Pete and wonder.....What does he see?

The Light Is There

   What do I want in my life most of all?

   Even as a flawed individual, and subject to the whims of human nature, it comes to me that I want to have God's guidance in my life. Right now, in this quiet time, today in my schedule, and in the rest of my life, as long as it lasts.

   When I sit down this morning and begin to pray, I put down all the areas of my life that I want to have His guidance in for just this day, including this early quiet time. I put down 5 items on a quick list to tape to my computer, so that I will not forget to get them done. These 5 things involve other people that I will, Lord willing, interact with today in some way, and I want to remember those obligations that I have signed on for. I want to hear from God first of all, and I do not want the things on my schedule to interfere with that priority, so I just list them and continue on in my prayer and reading time.

   I pray for guidance in all these areas. I pray for my actions and reactions in all of them also. I pray that God will help me be the man that reflects His character and His will. I pray that I will treat all those that I come in contact with today with the respect and dignity that they deserve as fellow creations of The Heavenly Father. I pray that I might speak and act with His wisdom and not whatever is mine.

   I pray that the words that come out of my mouth will be ones uplifting and not putting down others.

   Knowing what agenda items I put on my list, but not knowing how each will play out, or if some will not even be there as the day progresses, I pray for grace in the moment. Not for me to plan it all out right now as I think of these people and situations, but His wisdom and grace at the time of contact and as these unfold.

   I pray for His presence, for this brief early time, and for a continual one in my life as it proceeds through the day. I can't know what will happen, but I can be fortified to meet each person and event with the right attitude if I know that He is still there with me.
 
   It is easy for me to get lost in the possible situations of this upcoming day, but what I need most of all is to get lost in this time with God. The other things will take care of themselves, or rather He will take me through them on His time schedule, if I but seek Him first of all.

   So, I think of a scene down at the Pier the other day. Standing on the pier itself, looking back toward the shore, I see our lighthouse just sitting there, waiting for the darkness to come when its light will be a beacon to those out on the nearby ocean. It is there all the time, but its guidance become evident as night begins to surround it.

   In the same sense, the only light that I have is the moment of time that I am living in. The rest of my day is unknown, it is dark to me, but I can rest in the thought that The Light is there and if I look for Him, He will guide me in anything and everything that will happen.

   A lofty thought and realization, now to live it out.

Limited Vision

   Last evening, we went down to the Pier area of our island and found an interesting shot...

   Not knowing how the light was going to affect the shot, I took a bunch of snaps. After putting them in the computer this morning, I found that some were OK.

   Then I thought, what if I only had the shot above, what would I be able to tell about the subject. It was an interesting picture, but what did I really know from looking at it, except that it was mostly black and white. Some information was there, but I needed a larger perspective to really know.

   I am the same way when it comes to my life. I can see a small part of any picture, but my limited vision keeps me from the knowing the whole story. Even if I take a slice from my past, I can see more from my hindsight, but still the ripples from any particular encounter or event are out of my line of sight.

   It just reminds me to take the things that I see with my eyes, hear with my ears, or feel with my heart with a knowledge that says "you can't see the whole picture". I can't even be sure of what I do see. It is only my limited perspective on any image out there.

   God has the big picture in view, I only have my individual frame.

   Trust His heart even when I can't see.

   There is that word again....TRUST

   And what was that thing that I saw last evening at the Pier Village? Easier to know now.

   A Posing Pelican, probably named Pete

Trust Without Seeing

   One of the readings this morning was found in Genesis 45, the story of Joseph and his brothers in Egypt. The section of that chapter that catches my eye finds Joseph telling his brothers not to worry about what has happened in the past, there is a reason for all of it:

"But don’t feel badly, don’t blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives. There has been a famine in the land now for two years; the famine will continue for five more years—neither plowing nor harvesting. God sent me on ahead to pave the way and make sure there was a remnant in the land, to save your lives in an amazing act of deliverance. So you see, it wasn’t you who sent me here but God. He set me in place as a father to Pharaoh, put me in charge of his personal affairs, and made me ruler of all Egypt."

   Joseph spoke the truth concerning the situation and the events leading up to that moment, but I can't help wondering about all the other times that Joseph had maybe questioned why things, events out of his control that looked pretty bad, had dogged his life.

   Joseph sold into slavery by his brothers did not look like a prelude to a good story.

   Joseph tossed into prison when he rightly shunned Potiphar's wife.

   Joseph forgotten by the king's servant after correctly interpreting a dream in prison.

   For many years Joseph had seen things happen, not to someone else, but to him. Events and situations that seemed to lead nowhere. Every time it looked like God was finally going to bless him, he got knocked down again. He may have even wondered, after he was made 2nd in command in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself, what catastrophe might strike. It had been the story of his life up to that point.

   But back of all this, another story was being played out, and God was preparing Joseph for his part in the "Big Story".

   Joseph was faithful. He was human, too. I have no doubt that he wondered why a lot of times, but he did not lose his faith, even when he could not see the plan. Now, at last, he could see a role where God had placed him, and the way that it could work out to save his family.

   One of my favorite sayings is "nothing happens without a reason". I wonder if Joseph ever thought that as he struggled to grasp his situation.

   Why am I where I am, in the situations and places that I inhabit? My prayer should be that God would make me faithful in those, even when I do not see the larger picture, trusting that He is working all things out as they should be.

   Joseph got a glimpse of the story, not the end of it all, but a glimpse into his part of that particular scene. He could not know how the story would continue to play in the centuries ahead, but he could trust the Playwright.

   Trust-----that is all we are tasked to do. Not like it is always easy, but with His help, it is possible.

   The only requirement is to submit our will to His and be obedient.

   Another, "easy to write, but hard to live" truism.

Hiding Our Stuff

   The other day, I took a picture of an old eatery in Belen, MS that I was just not satisfied with, and sent it to my photographer mentor. I thought there was a good picture in there somewhere, but could just not get it "right". Here it is again:

   Now here is what he sent back after working on it a little bit:

   What is the difference? He took a bit of the clutter out of the shot, in the form of an old grill beside the chimney, and that made a difference.

   In the Bible reading this morning, Genesis 44, the sin of the sons of Jacob in regards to getting rid of their own brother Joseph, is about to be revealed to the world. They have hidden it from everyone, including their father, but now there will be no place to keep it out of the light anymore. Joseph himself has, with God's wisdom no doubt, maneuvered the situation so that it is out of the other brother's control. There will be no way to keep that particular skeleton in the closet anymore.

   We all have things in our lives that we would rather not be brought out into the light, but, like the grill in the photo, we can take it out to make the whole picture look better, but that act does not take it out of the history of our lives. We can smile and go our way, looking good on the outside, but we know the truth of what we have done. We simply applied a mask to hide the truth.

   In the photo processing tool that I use to make my shots look better, there is a way to take things out of a picture, a simple click, and it is gone, but it is always necessary to have the original shot in the file. There is no way to do away with the original and just keep the copy. The computer program won't let me do it.

   All of us have "stuff" that we would prefer the world out there not to associate with us. I know I do. I can hide it and not confess it to anyone, but the truth, like that original pic, is still out there.

   My true history, not just my smiling exterior one, is out there, and it takes more than a computer program to fix it and make it look better. It takes the forgiveness of God to make it right in His eyes. Acknowledgement of my sins before Him and the desire to go "and sin no more" are keys.

   God knows the original. I can try for a computerized "better copy", but only He can "make all things new".

   Thanks be to Him...

Drive-By Shooting

   Yesterday, as I was taking a look in the computer at some of the shots I had taken on our trip back across Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, I thought I might have a good photo in there somewhere. Some were fair, but nothing to really brag about (one of these I shared yesterday in this blog).

   So I took a couple of the originals and sent them to a friend who is much more knowledgeable than I, and asked what he might do if they were his. How would he bring out the good points and capture the image that was there?

   One of mine is here:

   Now I will put in one of his shots.

   I know there is no comparison in the quality of the photos, but then there is no comparison in the quality of the photographers either. Here is his thoughts on my questions:

"When faced with this kind of temptation, I often (erroneously) resort to taking snapshots. A "drive by shooting" if you will. The only way I know how to maximize my opportunity to "make" a good photo is to work the scene. Dozens of shots from all angles, elevations, compositions. Often, it's not til I get back to the computer do I see the magic. Time takes time, so does quality. I worked a tide on Jeykll while you were away for two mornings at high tide. Got wet, got cold, but in the end, captured a couple of keepers."

   I like his comments on "drive-by shootings" and the need to take the time to get a quality shot.

   And I know that doing things "right" often takes more time than I am willing to put into them. Even in my quiet time in the mornings, I am tempted to read a couple of things quickly, pray for a few moments, see if I get some inspiration, then get on with my day.

   When I sit down, unhurriedly, and take the time to truly look at the words on a page, concentrate on what God is saying to me, pray from my heart the things that I feel, and listen, do I feel His presence.

   But I am still like the Children of Israel in the passage this morning, from Psalm 78:

"They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God their redeemer.

But they flattered him with their mouths;
they lied to him with their tongues.
Their heart was not steadfast toward him;
they were not faithful to his covenant."

   I remember what is right, but I still try the shortcuts., then realize, once again, that there are no shortcuts to quality. Quality takes time in photography, and in life.

   Too soon old and still too late smart.

An Old Mercantile Store

   As we travelled home on last Monday we passed an old building that I had noticed many other times on our travels to Arkansas. The only difference this time around was that I stopped and looked around.

   I wondered about the purpose of this structure and also about the people who worked here. The building is located near Graves, GA, just west of Dawson the county seat of Terrell County.

   Dismuke is an unusual name for sure, but in searching the internet I found that there were persons of that last name around.

   From some of the comments and replies to older posts, I gather that this building was a general store, or mercantile, begun around turn of the 20th century. One woman posted that it was owned by her grandfather and that the family lived just down the road, whichever way that is,  from the store.

   Real people came to work in this store. Real people shopped here and socialized here with their neighbors.

   The store was probably an important spot to the folks who lived in the surrounding countryside. It served a purpose in that community. One site listed the dissolution of the business was around 1981, which sounds plausible considering the condition of the building. It seems to have been in business for some 85 or so years.

   How many lives touched and were touched by one store in the backwoods of SW Georgia? Of course it was not the store that touched, it was the people associated with it, the owner, the clerks, the customers, the people who delivered to it and those that maybe just hung around and talked.

   Lives, people, deeds of kindness or otherwise, romances, plots. How much stuff went on here, how many life changing decisions made here?

   Sometimes I like to wonder.

   These people who lived and worked and bought in this place were known by God, and all were worked into His will and His plan in some way. Their hopes and dreams were played out in this spot, not only by them, but by those who came after, all the way down to today.

   I may not know even the first person who was here, but I know that even the mundane things in their lives had an influence beyond their days.

   Makes me want to make my life, even the mundane part of it, worth living in such a way that God is pleased with the way it is remembered.

   

 

Traveling Lessons

   It felt good to be back home this morning, in some kind of a routine, and to have time to think and reflect, both on the Scriptures that I read, and also on what has transpired over the past few days.

   First the travel: Starting out in GA, going to SC, NC, back to SC and GA, on to TN, then AR, then MS, then AL and back to GA. 9 Days of being on the road, visiting with people that are family and friends, battling weather, making decisions on what to do, when and how, and just meandering through the ebb and flow of getting from place to place.

   But what do we have to show for those days? Were there any lessons learned, any insights into the world we live in?

   The first I knew...Relationships are the most important thing in the world of travel. The people that we go to see are important to us, and they are the ones that make the trip worthwhile. We live far from most of our family, and it is always good to catch up with their lives. Retirement is great and living in a warm place (relatively speaking) is a definite perk, but we do miss our kids and grand kids growing up, and during the school year it is easier for us to go there than for them to visit here.

   Retirement also takes us away from the friends that we lived around in the first 60 or so years of our lives. Rekindling old ties and remembering the past with them is always good, especially when some of them are older and not in good health.

   Another lesson brought home from this trip...Prudence, especially in travel and the flexibility it entails is important, especially in the winter. We tried to listen when weather warning were posted and erred on the side of safety when deciding when and where to go. We got caught once in AR, but made it okay after a short delay, but did not want to make that same mistake again, and so we came home a day early in order to miss another approaching winter storm.

   And I did ask directions and actually turned around kind of early yesterday, when realization came that we were not on the right road. Prudence strikes again.

   One more thing, the importance of a smile or of concern. In the course of these 9 days, we interacted with a bunch of people. There were those that waited on us in places to eat, in stores, at gas stations. A lot of times folks in these jobs are maligned, but we met a lot who were quick with a smile, with help when we needed it, and wanted to get it right, for us.

   Then there was that couple who saw us on the side of the road in rural SW Georgia, and slowed enough to yell and ask if we were in trouble. Even though it was just a stop on the side to take a shot of an old building, they did not know that, and their willingness to be available to help was a bright spot. I am thankful that there are people like that. The world needs them.

   I'm sure there are more things that I could have learned, or ones that I can't think of right now, and may not again, but time on the road is never wasted when there is a good companion to travel with and good remembrances from others along the way. Ofttimes it is not the destination, it is the journey that counts, and when that journey is filled with caring others, it is more the better.

30% Chance of .......?

   Traveling yesterday presented an interesting situation.

   We left Chattanooga early, got to Franklin in time to have lunch with friends, then back on the road again to go toward Arkansas. We got the weather for Conway (our destination) before we left that morning, 30% chance of snow flurries and a wintery mix, so did not think too much more about it until we called Donna early in the afternoon while traveling down I-40 toward Memphis.

   She informed us that they had changed the forecast, but that if we did not dally around and come on straight there, we might beat the winter stuff. So we did, got through Memphis on on into Arkansas. Only 150 miles to go once we crossed the mighty Mississippi, and we were on a schedule to be there in Conway by 7PM.

   Just before reaching Little Rock, with 30 miles to go, we began to see snow flurries in the headlights. They got heavier the more we drove west. We could see the road beginning to get stuff on it, but the snow seemed dry, and it blew around as the traffic passed. Two exits and maybe 20 miles before we could get off at Conway, we got in a lot of traffic, and then it stopped. Both lanes inched along at a snails pace while we watched the eastbound traffic moving well.

   For what seemed like a long time we moved, and waited, and moved and waited. I thought I might get off at the next exit and take the state route to Conway, but when I saw it was still 8 miles away, I knew, at the pace we were moving, that could take hours.

   An ambulance passed us on the shoulder and then a police car. Great, maybe they could get whatever was in the way, out of it, and then we could proceed. Then we began to move, 5 mph, then 10, then 20, then 30 and 40. Where was the problem? We never saw any trouble and did not see the emergency vehicles again either.

   All I could think of during the time we poked along were the pictures of the gridlock in Atlanta a few days earlier, when they got a few inches of snow. People were stranded in their cars for 4, 6, 8 even 20 hours. Cars ran out of gas and had to be abandoned, and I did not want either of those scenarios to be us.

   So, we prayed that somehow we could make it to our destination, and that it might be quickly, before it got any worse.

   Instead of being warm and filled in Conway at 7PM, it was 9PM, and we were so glad to finally get there. The rest rooms at the filling station when we got off the freeway at last, were very welcome to say the least.

   What was the news as we woke up from a great sleep on this morning? Headlines in the Little Rock paper told of gridlock there on the roads, happening just 30 minutes or so after we passed through. Snow on the car and ice and about 2 inches on the ground.

   Besides being extremely grateful for our safe and not too late arrival in Conway, we knew that we were not in control. Neither were the weather people on the internet and TV. Not Mother Nature either. Only God, and we are thankful that we did not dally on that road.

   Thank You, God, for all You did and have done in our lives, including last night.

   For sure!

Shovel-Ready Jobs

   I read this in Psalm 62 this morning:

"For you will render to a man
according to his work."

   I think "this is not just work", any work, this is more, and I want to add a word in here to clarify it for myself. I trust this is not "adding to Scripture", but simply what God shows is the work that He is looking for.

   I want to say that God's rendering will be according to my obedient work. Not all those things that I see to do on my own, but that which is pointed out by Him, work that He shows. It is not something that I push aside others to do, so I can add more things to my "works done" list. Works that He blesses are those that He calls me to do, and I do.

   There will be things that I will be called to do today. Maybe they are already on my to do list because He has led, but maybe they might be shown at the very time of needed action, but they are placed there for my realization and my obedience.

   There was a term used a few years back, one referring to jobs that could be created because the projects were sitting there waiting for funds to be appropriated. These were referred to as "shovel-ready jobs".

   It is not enough for me to see that shovel, waiting in the sunshine of a barn, but that implement has to be picked up and actually used to do something. The light of the sun might point it out, but it is not just to take a picture of, it is a working tool.

   There will be things that I need to do today. As God brings them forth, out of the darkness of my thoughts into His sunshine, my shovel-ready job is to pick up the tools He has given me to use, and get that work done, obediently.

   Success is the convergence of realization and obedience.

   May I be a successful worker today.

We Are All Teachers

   There are certain sites on the internet that I go to when I sit down each morning to have some quiet time before my day begins in earnest. I go to them for inspiration, from a desire to see what God has for me in this new day, and to open my mind and heart to His leading.

   Some days, I read all of the above and find that my mind has not grasped anything that I can pin down and say "this is it". On those days, like today, my "rabbit trail" wandering takes over and I follow other links that I notice on these web pages. It is not desperation that drives me on, I just want to feel that there is something here for me, and I want to keep on going till I find it. Of course, having a lot of time to actually do this, is helpful.

   Often a thought from some obscure site catches my eye and mind. Sometimes that thought leads me  back to other things in my life that I associate with it. Things that I have seen or experienced over the past days seem to blend in with a new thought and bring meaning to it.

   Since I have been a teacher for a few years in my life, the site I found this morning was more than just a little interesting. The author was bemoaning the fact that, although our students learn so many facts and stuff, they miss the real education of life, that they are taught how to be lawyers, and doctors and business people, but they are not taught how to be good. They may be able to pass a test on history, but not be aware of how character plays such a leading role in who and what those historical people are.

   I thought about some of the areas we visited on our trip this time, across Georgia and on up to Chattanooga. This plaque at Jefferson, in Jackson County, like those on other courthouse lawns across this state, speaks of individuals who were pioneers, either in settling the area, or famous for pioneering efforts in other venues there.

   These were real people, ones who came there, lived there and made their mark in some way on the others around them on in their community. They were examples of others who made the same trek, were subject to the same hardships, and lived to settle that area. No doubt there were others who made their mark in a negative way also. All were part of the life in that new spot.

   In the same way as those early people, we are all people of character. What we say is not nearly as important as what we do, and who we really are.

   I don't know about these men pointed out on this sign. All of them lived here way back when. I suppose they had families, children who grew up there and became preachers and teachers and judges and mothers and fathers and who shaped the lives of those who came after, all the way to this present day.

   Book learning was passed down, and a lot of what was passed down in that way, has been invalidated by new revelations, but the character of the generations that followed endure, for good or ill.

   Let me be one whose character for good is not just passed down by word of mouth, but shown in the way it is lived out.

 

Living a Tag Line.....In Jefferson, GA

   Traveling yesterday, we took a couple of side trips to catch two more Georgia courthouses. The first one was in Carnesville, the county seat of Franklin County, so named for Ben Franklin of Founding Fathers fame.

   A little farther down I-85 toward Atlanta, we stopped at Jefferson, the county seat of Jackson County, whose courthouse was being renovated.

   We had taken a fairly convoluted route to get into Jefferson, so we stopped at a garage to ask directions back to the interstate. After getting some, and moving on out of town, we came to a spot that I recognized. It was a road coming into us from the north, a road that was the one we had used to get into town in the first place.

   But the directions we had did not include a turn there, so I drove on and then decided I had better ask again, just to make sure. Stopping at the first place I saw, a tire store, I pulled in. Heading for the front door, I heard a voice from my right, "Can I help you?".

   This was probably the manager of the facility, and I told him my dilemma. "No problem, just keep on the road you were on, going west, till you get to a stop sign, turn right and you will cross the freeway in about a mile."

   After thanking him, and returning to the car, my wife said that I should get a towel and some water and clean some smeared dirt from my windshield. Good idea because we would be looking straight into the sun as we traveled on west.

   Again, "no problem". "Marvin", he called out, and another man appeared with water, a squeegee, and a towel. As he cleaned, he asked about the streaks on the glass. I told him that I had let the road film dry on there and, when I tried to use my wipers, it just smeared.

   "Maybe you are just low on fluid in your car", he said as he moved back into the tire bay. Returning to the car with a bottle of blue fluid, he opened the reservoir cap, poured and filled it up. "Now you should be good to go", he said as he closed the hood.

   As I thought all about these scenarios this morning, I realized that the picture I should have taken was that of the tire people that he helped so much. But, alas, that photo is only in my mind, and not there for long I fear.

   So I think about that story in the Bible of Abraham sending his servant to the land of his kin to get a wife for Isaac. When the servant stops at a well there, he asks the girl who comes to the well, Rebekah, to give him a drink, and she says, "I'll do that and I will water your camels also".

   That was the attitude of the men in the tire store, and that action reminded me of the tag line that I use on my emails.

   THE SECOND MILE HAS NO TRAFFIC JAMS

   Indeed, I use that line every day, but not too often do I think about it. Maybe God is reminding me to do more than just use a pithy saying, but live it instead.

   Thanks, tire people, my mind is thick, but I finally got it.

A Quote From the Past

   Way back when, when my dad used to get me up to go work early in the morning, while it was still dark outside,  and I was all settled in my warm bed, especially on cold mornings, he used to tell me that I was about to miss the best part of the day. Of course, since he opened his business at 5AM, this "best part" was while there was no light at all in the eastern sky, the hour or hours before sunrise.

   I confess that I did not share his enthusiasm for this time, and maybe he didn't either all the time, but now times have changed. He had to be there. There would be trucks of produce waiting to be unloaded and customer's trucks waiting to get the product so they could service their accounts for that day.

   There is no such urgency for me these days. I don't really have to be anywhere most days, and there will be no irate customers on the phone if I sleep in. But I find that I like this early time. It is quiet, and most days when I get out, there is no sound except the birds. Even if I cannot see clearly, my mind seems to think that way. Not that I get so many great revelations in that time, but I seem open to listening and hearing.

   A verse this morning: "Walk by faith, not by sight." 2 Cor. 5:7

   What does it mean to walk by faith. This morning, walking early in the fog, it is easy to see an example of this, and the devotional puts it this way:

By Faith - responding in a way that maximizes God's ability to intervene - hope-filled living!

   This is not a "I hope so" kind of hope. Rather it is the kind of hope that knows God is in control and that He has a plan for this time and this day.

   My job: To walk and to listen. Walk the part of the path that I can see and listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

   And maybe to realize that my dad was right.

   This is the best part of the day.