January 29th

God, it's snowing outside. It's a good day for snow, because there's not much on for me today. Help me to enjoy my family and the snow and to be refreshed and renewed for tomorrow's work on your behalf.

January 28th

Thanks, God, for a successful Bistro Supper and for all the great people that made it happen. Thanks for Lois and her leadership, thanks for all the people that supported her, and thanks for all the folks that enjoyed the evening and a great meal. I pray that all their hard work will be a true blessing to the people of Pakistan, as we work towards providing them with 8 water storage ponds. Please continue to help us with our efforts.

January 27th

Lord, thanks for letting me be a friend. Thanks for giving me broad shoulders for others to lean on, a strong back to help support them, and a loving heart to receive them without judgment or question.
Thanks, as well, for a supportive church and people that understand what I do. It was a true blessing to be able to drop everything for one person who needed me, and to have the folks waiting for me understand and accept that their needs had to take second place to the needs of a man in pain. What a true and wonderful blessing it is to have such good people to work with.

January 26th

God, it's been a struggle today. I've had to share some hard truths and listen to some different perspectives. I was corrected appropriately, I was chastized a little, but I think I was able to be true to your will.
Sometimes you give us challenges in the form of having to bring others to account, and in that action, we too are brought to account. I pray that my words were helpful rather than hurtful, that my guidance was prophetic and inspired by you, and that the lessons offered will be taken seriously. We started our meetings with prayer, we ended them with prayer, so I know you were with us. I just pray now that growth may ensue, truth may be spoken, and that healing will take place.
May those who need to change be changed, Lord, including myself, so that what we do is in closer alignment to your will and desire for us.

January 25th

God, it's been an interesting day, a day of sharing and learning, and a day of realizing, once again, how differently people hear and perceive things. I know that what I say and do are intended one way, but that others can see and understand them in another. Help me accept this reality and to deal with it as is right, so that I can avoid being hurt or let down when people misinterpret things completely. Help me, as well, to be as clear as possible, so that there is little room for misinterpretation. Help me, most of all, not to worry about those folks who simply can't get it right, whose own biases or agendas block them from understanding me, and help me do so not because I don't care, but because I can only do so much, and that I have to be true to who I am without bending too much for those who won't bend an inch towards me.

January 24th

God, it's been a good, quiet day. Thanks for being able to "take time to be holy" as the old hymn says, and to simply sit back and relax

January 23rd: Bright lights

Needless to say, but I’ll say it anyway, the sun is a pretty bright light. Certainly nothing on earth can match it for its intensity and power. Of course, it is because of its brightness that life on earth can exist at all. The way God arranged things, the light of the sun is vital to both animal and plant viability.
One side effect of the sun’s brightness is the joy that it provides. Unless you’re a vampire, a full on sunshiny day does wonders to raise the spirit and enliven the soul. It must be more than just a feeling too, because when we don’t get enough sun, as can happen during the long winter months, we can become physically sick. The remedy for this illness? Exposure to a special light that mimics the light of the sun.
The sun’s ability to make us happy and healthy is reflected in our own faces at times. There is a sense of brightness about us when we’re in a good mood that is infectious. Sometimes we even talk about bright shining faces, especially in reference to the happy innocence of a child.
That inner glow isn’t really a form of light, but it can have the same joyful effect on us as the light of the sun. Just as a sunny day can change our mood for the better, a person’s inner light and joy can make our dullest moment better. I don’t know if it’s psychological or physical or if there is a real way to measure such brightness, but I know it’s true. A genuinely happy person has a glow about them that can’t help but brighten others up.
The ultimate source of this joy, and the greatest expression of happiness God has to offer, is the love of Jesus. In the ultimate great pun, Jesus is the bright shining Son of God, the light of Lights that can outshine the sun itself. To know Jesus is to have that light for ourselves. To share that knowledge is to be a bright shining light that can dispel the darkest darkness.
As vital as the sun is to our physical existence, the Son of God is vital to our spiritual existence. Without Him there is no way out from the darkness of sin. Without Him there is no light at the end of our despair. Without Him our days are as long and as heavy as the dark days of winter.
Jesus: the Son that shines in our lives. Jesus: the light of Lights. Get to know Him. Let Him brighten your life so that you too can be a shining-bright light of joy in the world.

January 23rd

Thanks God, for another good day of worship. I especially thank you for the opportunity to worship at the final day of the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity." It was a great chance just to sit in the pews and be fed by the music and the very capable and interesting preacher.
I thank for for his message and for the chance just to sit back and be part of the congregation. 
I also thank you for the music, for the mighty roar of the organ, for the enthusiasm of the choir and the excellence of the praise band. I thank you, finally, for what the music said to me, beyond it's support of the worship and theme. It spoke to me of how in many ways I have moved on from the traditional style offered during this "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity." It was great to hear the old songs, but also a little frustrating that they were the predominant offering. I realize I have moved to a different place and my heart lies with a more contemporary style.
Lord, help me as I lead folks in this new direction. Help me to be humble yet constant. Help me open worship to a new generation with music that speaks to their comfort level, without leaving others too far behind. Help me pick the best of the traditional music and present in a way that speaks to modern tastes. Help me worship you and lead worship in a way that touches new hearts as well as the old, faithful ones.

January 22nd

Loving God, it's been a good day. My children had friends to spend time with and I was able to do some work around the house while Lois did some of her chores. It was nice to be quiet at home after a busy week at work, and I appreciate Lois going shopping and doing things without feeling she needed to have me along. I thank you for her patience and her love, and pray that I might be as loving and supportive to her as she is to me.

January 21st

Heavenly Father, it was great to be able to celebrate a friend's birthday party this evening. The joy for all the celebrants was palpable, and what's more wonderful is how the 'birthday boy' shared his celebration with his church. It was a generous gift, the gift of a party for folks that needed something to enjoy without feeling obliged to give or to do something. Sometimes as Pastors we ask a lot of our church, so it was nice for my friend to give something back. I pray, God, that I might be as generous and find a way to share my joy with my church, just because.