QUESTION OF THE DAY #22: What is your favorite picture?

What is your favorite picture?  When I asked people this question, for many people, their favorite picture was one of two things.  Either it was a picture of a child, or it was a picture of a loved one who had left this "veil of tears" to join the Lord in heaven.  These are such powerful pictures that have a lasing impact on a person's life. 

My picture isn't of a person, but, like those answers, it has to do with family and loved ones.  For Thanksgiving, two years ago, we went to see my very dear grandmother in Minnesota.  Part of that trip involved seeing the farmhouse where she used to live, where my wonderful grandfather used to live when he was alive, and where us grandchildren got together and created some pretty special memories.

While I was there I snapped a picture of the old windmill, next to the milk house, with the moon visible in the blue sky.  It brought back so many memories for me, just to see that windmill.  When I posted it on my Facebook page, my cousins, aunts, and uncles had so many stories of their own.  One involved my dad putting his tongue on the metal when it was freezing out!  Kids, don't try that at home!

It is about more than memories.  That picture became a symbol for me of family, of where I come from, of what I'm about, even of the character values that have been passed on from generation to generation in my family.  I had that picture put on canvas and framed, and on the bottom is this verse:   

Psalm 100:4: "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."  

Keep those pictures of your loved ones in a special place.  Keep your loved ones themselves always near and dear to your heart.  They are gifts of God and treasures.  God's love truly does continue from generation to generation!

QUESTION OF THE DAY #21: What is a dream of yours?

Dreams come in many different flavors. We dream about jobs, our relationships, travels, retirement, and accomplishments.  We dream about the tragedies in our lives, hoping that somehow they might be reversed or made right.  We dream about the world in which we live, hoping that it could be a better place.  We even have those dreams that are so different from the expected, dreams we wouldn't ever tell another living soul.  It is noble enough, some days, to dream of just getting by, and somehow, this helps us to do just that.

Dreams are a wonderful manifestation of the human mind where we can fly, soar above our current surroundings.  I have dreams of being a great musician or a great pastor someday, dreams of maybe even writing a book.  Maybe that's why I'm blogging.  Who knows?  I have dreams of being happy and free, and of being a better person, too.  There are many other dreams for family and friends.  What are yours?

Dreams don't always come true, and, yes, sometimes God has other plans, but I believe dreams are a part of the process, even if they don't all come true.  I had an experience tonight that was humbling.  I'd love people to come to my Bible studies because I'm such a good theologian or speaker or teacher.  I dream about these things, but people came out for tonight's Bible study (on the topic of mental health) for two reasons that are completely separate from my dreams.  

First, they came out because they know that I have bi-polar disorder.  That wouldn't be a dream of mine, but God was able to work with my limitations and place me in a situation where others can hopefully gain insight from the things I've experienced.  Second, and this is the bigger reason, mental health issues have been ignored or glossed over or worse, and there is a huge need for a study on this topic that "gets real."

Dreams are like clouds.  Surely we need them, but they come and go.  Yet, even if our dreams should vanish into thin air, God remains, accomplishing more than we could ever have imagined, doing so in His sacred ways that are higher than the clouds above.

QUESTION OF THE DAY #20: What do you like to do on a rainy day?

Rain is something we are told to pray for.  It gives new life to the earth, just as God has given us new life in Christ.  It's not always easy to appreciate the rain, though.  Rainy days sometimes spoil plans, but there are so many things to do on a rainy day!  You can watch a movie, read a book, or make a mouth-watering meal in a slow cooker.  You can have a nice cup of coffee or tea on your porch and listen to the rain and smell the showers.  You can do something that you've saved for a rainy day! 

I actually like to get out in the rain and just stand there.  I also like to go for a walk, especially in the woods. If it's pouring, running in the rain can be awesome!  I guess when it rains, we all have a choice.  Either we can let it ruin our day, or we can celebrate it. 

"Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever." (Ps. 145:2) Even rainy days!

QUESTION OF THE DAY #19: What do you do to clear your head?

Isn't it something that God rested after He made the world?  In the book of Exodus, it says, "...in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed."  I mean, refreshed!  I can't even comprehend that in God. 

I think that this is why God has built into each of us our own ways to be renewed.  How do you clear  your head?  As I asked people this question, here is what I found.  Walking is great, and so is riding a bike.  Any exercise will work, as long as you enjoy it.  Even physical labor has its merits.  Reading is good, and so is writing.  Try taking a jar and filling it with notes.  If something bothers you, write it down.  Put it in the jar.  Get rid of it.  Give it to God.  Do you like music?  Listen to it!  Do you have a hobby?  Do it!  

The Bible tells us to set our minds on God:  "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you."  (Isaiah 26:3) Peace means well-being.  It means wholeness.  This challenges me to break out of my routine, to take care of myself, to make use of the ways that I am renewed, and to know that God is with me as I do these things.  

I like a good work out.  I like to be in nature, fishing, camping, or even hunting.  I like to play guitar, and it literally forces me to relax, or it just doesn't go well.  

Yes, it is meaningful for me to share my thoughts with you here.  I don't usually start out knowing what I'm going to write.  It's just time with God, and, in a way, time with my friends who are reading it.  I don't think I'll always have a verse or something terribly wise to say.  It may just be a little bit of trivia from my day.  Still, I'm happy just letting it be what it is.

QUESTION OF THE DAY #18: What do you collect?

There are so many kinds of collections!  I thought that I wasn't a collector at all, but then I thought again.  Very few of the things that I have do I have just one of!  By far the biggest collection I have is my collection of books.  I "literally" could not count them all, much less read them all, to be honest, especially given the sheer number of books I have stored on computer.  I'm trying to picture a room filled with those books right now.

Whew!  They aren't as satisfying as paper and ink books, though.  One set of books I have is a collection of classic authors and their works published by Walter J. Black, Inc., over a hundred  years ago.  On the inside cover of each book is the signature, W.H. Finney, M.D., 1931.  To think that I have a set of books bought by a doctor before my parents were even born kind of blows my mind.  I've only read a fraction of the volumes, though, the ones by Poe, Doyle, Kipling, and bits of one or two others.  Even now it bothers me a bit that I can't find one of the volumes, and another one has started to rip.

What is it about human beings that makes us collectors?  Is it a habit?  Is it that it makes us feel more complete?  Is it nostalgia?  Is it a way of expressing ourselves?  It can be all of these things, and more.  What do you like to collect?  Pottery?  Figurines?  Art?  Toys of various sorts?  Collections can serve many good and noble purposes.   Still, I'm feeling a little guilty here, swamped by the things I've collected.

Which reminds me, there IS one kind of collector mentioned in Scripture quite often.  You might have guessed it, the dreaded tax collector, considered by religious people to be an especially awful kind of person back in the day.  

Isn't it interesting that Jesus made a point of hanging out with tax collectors?  He came to collect outcasts and to forgive.  He came to pick us up, dust us off, gather and keep us.  May our collections always be able remind us of that!

QUESTION OF THE DAY #17: What do you want to remember?

People say that life goes by too quickly.  I think a day goes by too quickly.  I know I've said something like that before, but it's true.  I got to see my son at his football game today, and I was reminded that two years ago on this exact day he played in his very first soccer game.  Not only was it his first game, but he played goalie!  He's changed so much in these past two years.  He's now just a freshman in high school, and already he's growing into the man he will one day be.  In fact, I get the feeling that any second now he'll be taller than me!  I remember looking at him silhouetted in the setting sun on the field as his team gathered in the end zone and being proud, proud not only of what he's done, or how he conducted himself, but proud of the person he is becoming.  How blessed I am to have three wonderful children and moments like these.  It was a day to remember.  

What do you want to remember?  A smile?  A compliment from your spouse?  A conversation with your friends?  An accomplishment?  The beauty of nature?  A feeling of peace and contentment?  Tuck it away, and hang on to it tightly!

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise. 

(Francis R. Havergal, Public domain)

QUESTION OF THE DAY #16: What is your favorite animal?

What is your favorite animal?  I'll admit it.  This question was initially just an excuse to take a picture of one of my cats, Ronny.  Isn't he adorable?  I've had so many good pets, and there are so many wonderful animals.  The list could go on and on, but what makes Ronny special is what he did for me after I had oral surgery.  Last year, I had a funny kind of bump on the inside of my lower lip.  I know it's not too pleasant to talk about.  I had to have it removed, though, which required stitches.  The surgery was a piece of cake, but I was in pain for weeks after.  Leading worship services was actually very difficult for me at the time, and so was sleeping.  So Ronny knew something was wrong, and at night he would climb on my shoulder and purr until I fell asleep.  Now, months after, he still likes to sleep on my shoulder. 

I know it's not terribly dramatic, but it sure is nice to have a pet like that!  Now there aren't a lot of Bible verses about pets, it's true, but one is Proverbs 12:10, "Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel." (ESV) So much is packed into this verse.  Although originally referring to agricultural animals, it is, to be sure, a reminder to be good to  your pets, too.  I would take care of Ronny just as much even if he never climbed on my shoulder, and I certainly didn't expect it and wouldn't ever demand that he did that.

But there's something more in that verse that bears mentioning.  Think about the people in your life that you help.   Are you doing it thinking they'll owe you something in return?  Wise pet owners love the animals they care for, and that love is returned freely.   How much more should we love those whom we help, letting that help simply be a reflection of God's own unconditional love for us?