It’s All About the Light

 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12
Taking great pictures is all about the light. Finding it, chasing it, capturing it. And not just any light either, the right light. I am finding with my photos that either I don’t have enough light or I have too much. Once in a while I get it right on the money, and at this point it is a fluke when I do because I don’t know what I am doing…..yet. Right now I am trying to figure out how to get just the right amount of light in pictures I take at sunset, so they don’t look washed out. 
Jesus talked a lot about light. In fact, He was the light. When we find Him we find everything. We don’t have to chase Him, because He already made the first move. He died so that we could find it, find Him. The Bible says in John 1:4: 
 “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
I am so glad I don’t have to run all over the place to find Him. He is right here with me at all times……..When life comes crashing in, I can go to a quiet place and find Him. And when I can’t get to that quiet place, I feel the stillness of His Spirit in my soul. I carry Him around and He allows it, wants it.
That blows my mind.
And He leads me places…….Sometimes He leads me walking. The other day while I was mulling over everything in my photo book, trying to make sense of it all and get my brain to work, I went out for a short walk around the park. I sensed Him saying, “See what you would have missed if you hadn’t come out here?”
Taking a walk is like letting the light in…….but only if you open your eyes to what He wants to show you. I confess, sometimes I have walked and been so upset I haven’t seen a thing.
But I don’t like walks like that, I want the other kind.
Peace in Him, Lori
photo courtesy of public domain pictures

Where we came from

“ Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert.” Isaiah  43:18,19
Yesterday I was listening to Glen Beck and he was talking about how we as a nation are in danger of forgetting where we came from, losing our ideals as a country. Those are not his words, but were the gist of what he was talking about. You hear all kinds of talk today about how America is no longer a Christian nation. We have kicked God out of every public arena possible in the name of the first Amendment, which actually was written to protect religion, not limit its expression. But that is another topic.
I don’t know if we could call ourselves a Christian nation any longer, but I do know this. All over this great nation today, there are people gathering for Bible Studies, holding hands around a table, sharing their concerns about their families, work, praying over everything that is in their heart, and sharing their love for God. And not just a few. Thousands upon thousands. All through the week and not just on Sundays. They don’t just call themselves Christians, they courageously live what they believe until it hurts.
This is what my relatives came to America for. They came with hope flaming in their hearts for that freedom, not only to work and make a life for themselves, but to believe and practice without fear. I like to imagine what they felt when they saw the first glimpse of Ellis Island……and our Lady Liberty. Maybe the sun was shining on her, maybe it was dark, but there is no doubt that they saw something in her that our modern eyes could never see.
My Grandmother came over from Russia and almost died on the ship when she was 6 months old. Many years later she met my Grandfather and they bought land in North Dakota. They worked from sun up to sun down. Sometimes my Grandmother took over for my Grandfather at the plow, in place of the beast of burden. And they suffered a great tragedy. Their sweet little Annie was accidentally shot by a foster child at two years of age. My dear Grandfather left the rifle out only once. I believe he took that guilt with him to the grave. When they left for California, they left their farm and all the animals, most of whom they named.
They left Annie’s grave too.
When they got to California, my Grandmother’s relatives didn’t treat her very well. They gave her all the jobs nobody else wanted to do. When my Aunt and Uncle came, they lived in a chicken coop in back of the house. These were strong people, people of character.
They persevered, went to church, raised their families, and eventually started a successful business.
They didn’t believe anyone owed them anything. They knew they would have to sacrifice to get what they wanted. They knew the importance of waiting…..patience. Personal sacrifice.
And they knew that every blessing they received came straight from the Almighty Hand of God.

It is those ideals that I feel America and many Americans are in danger of losing, and not just our youth.
Would anyone you know endure harsh treatment from relatives and live in a chicken coop now? Would I?
It is what I am pondering today.

A few photos…….

These were taken at twilight in Micke Grove Park, Lodi California, where I grew up…….it was just my Dad and I running around, looking for good shots. It was a good evening and a precious memory of just the two of us.

As I walked around in the quiet of twilight, I thought of other times there when I was a kid. Going to the zoo and even then, feeling bad for the little grey fox that paced endlessly.  And years later, evenings spent running there with my then boyfriend. Good memories all……

My Dad, sitting with “The Reader” Downtown

There is something comforting about walking streets you have walked for years…….that familiar bump in the sidewalk, that alleyway with other shops you remember from before…..

And finally, the tree where I lost my first lens cap. Three trips to different stores came up empty. My Dad has taken it upon himself to look for it ever since. It has become a personal challenge to find it…..

I have so much to learn about this camera………and photography in general. I would be grateful for any tips from you pros!

Peace and blessing to you this day, Lori

Patience

This…….plus……this

Will hopefully result in some photos, as soon as I can manage to read the manual and get them loaded on the computer……

With prayers and some reading, I hope to have them up here soon.

Thank you for being patient. I sure had a blast with this camera, my first real grown up camera.


Now if I can just learn to use it!

“For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” Romans 8: 24, 25

Joining Ann and all others in continuing the Gratitude Count today, among those I count as precious in my bouquet of memories brought back from home are these……

Being able to join my family in church for the first Easter in a long, long time. The first song raised the roof and the little impatient one sat through the whole service……that was a miracle in itself. She was enthralled by the large woman in purple with a streak of purple in her hair that belted out an incredible song.

Taking pictures with my Dad, just he and I, walking downtown, riding around town finding just the right light at twilight…..

Conversations with dear friends…….

Seeing my sixth grade teacher whom I hadn’t seen in years……I was amazed she knew me right away!

Dyeing Easter eggs that for some reason turned out only two colors……the glitter made it work.

Enjoying time with Mom, holding her hand and going to a Christian Women’s Luncheon with her…..the bonus was I won the doorprize she wanted and I happily gave it to her. That was a God thing!

Going to breakfast with my brother and seeing my Arizona neighbor there…..a pleasant surprise!

A special answered prayer…….

And then coming back to my Arizona home is always a wonderful thing, I appreciate so much the sacrifice it took just now for me to go. What a wonderful friend I have…….#679-687

holy experience

The Ultimate Happy Ending

There is something in us that wants happy endings. Just consider how many watched the recent marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. I have to admit, I was one of them. We watch because we hope that the end of the story will be just as beautiful as the beginning.
Easter is the ultimate happy ending. Indeed, it is because of Easter and the Resurrection that we can go through anything this life has to dish up. And sometimes as we all know, things happen to very good people that are just not fair. I was reflecting on this as I finished the book of Job today.
If we do not find ourselves in the midst of something we consider extremely unfair, then we know someone who is. It is the lament we hear over and over again, the refrain of our times……”It’s just not fair.” I can count about 5 people right off the top who I can say this about. You know the kind I mean, good honest people who follow the rules and do the right thing. They work hard…..love God and their neighbor, sacrifice for others and life just seems to dump on them.
When I was back home my Mom told me of her friend, Yvonne. A hard working woman who works as a checker in the local market, Yvonne is struggling to raise the two kids still at home. She has to leave a 12 and 15 year old alone after school because she has to work. She worries because they are starting to give her grief by rebelling. Her husband left her and offers no financial help, though he is very well off. He sees them every now and them and plies them with expensive gifts and then they ask their Mom why they can’t have this or that at home. She recently wanted to buy her older daughter a TV set and was going to use her tax return to do it. Then she got a letter informing her that there was a mistake in her refund and she actually owed more than the amount she was getting back.
But Yvonne will be alright…..She would be the first to tell you because she knows the Lord is able. She knows the tomb was empty that day. She has the hope of the resurrection. Because of that, we are able! We know the ending of the story and it’s a good one.
Job knew it too……..
And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the LORD had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold.

If you are going through hardship today, remember Easter. You can rejoice because He is not in the tomb anymore, He is here with you……There is an ending to our story that holds tremendous hope, and because of this, we can go on. We can it make it because we know what Job figured out.

God is in control, and the ultimate victory is ours in Him.

Blogging Break!

In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? Luke 24:5

I wish you all a Blessed and Happy Resurrection Day…….

I will be taking a short break from blogging since I will be gone visiting family in California. I plan to take my camera and prayer journal and will be ready to start posting when I come back in one week…..

Still I post again, I pray you have a peaceful and joyous Easter……

Lori

The Best Worst Day in History

Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”

Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”
 

 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
 

 
Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The thickness of this curtain was about 4 inches thick…..
 
The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!

The awful, wonderful cross became the bridge that continues to span the chasm between God and man….

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

All verses taken from the book of Matthew.
All photos from Google images

Sweet Fragrance or Bad Odor

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness……Galations 5:22

She makes no bones about the fact that she is “not a team player.” She listens in on co-worker’s phone conversations with clients and then corrects what she feels needs correcting about what they said, even after only hearing part of the conversation. She has arranged it so that she gets all phone messages first, even before the boss, and then fills him in on her version of what the message said. She is first to hold her hand out when free gifts are passed out from vendors and then she doles out the leftovers to her co-workers. She constantly brags about how much money her husband makes. She tries to sell clients what they can’t afford if she thinks it will benefit her. She seeks to damage others credibility.

Everyone takes a deep breath when she leaves the office. You can actually feel the tension dissipate and everyone relax. And what bothers me most of all? She has a sticker from a well known Christian church on the back of her car.

Toxic people. We have all worked with them or known someone who has.

You know the kind I mean. At work we call them “pot-stirrers.” They never seem to be happy unless they are stirring up trouble for someone else. They get on the bosses good side, and when he or she shows up they act real busy. As soon as they leave they slack off.

Someone can call themselves whatever they want, but if their fruit smells rotten, well……….

This makes me wonder about Judas. I wonder if there was any indication at all as they were together for those three years, what he would become? Was there a feeling they got when he was in the room? When he left the room? Did they brush off doubts about his character? No one knows for sure, but I do know this, the Bible is very harsh with those who say they are Christians but go out of their way to cause dissention and trouble.

The enemy seeks only to do these three things….To kill, steal and destroy.

But Jesus comes to give life.

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, Romans 8:5,6

Help me Lord, to be a Jesus person and not a Judas person. Thank you for Your Holy Spirit who helps me in every situation, even dealing with toxic people. Thank you for being my protector and shield, and help me be a life-giver and not a life-stealer to those around me……Amen

photo credits: Josef Petrek public domain pics

Real Prayer

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord……
In prayer today, my brain was like a Sunbeam mixmaster. My mind full of stuff on my list. My agenda. In a few days I am leaving on a jet plane. I need to ship a box to California, I need to go to Walmart. I haven’t even showered yet. I feel time slipping by…….
I sat in prayer trying to quiet my mind and asked myself…….”Why am I here?” I needed to ask it of myself, because sometimes it seems even my prayer time is all about me, and I don’t want it to be. The answer that landed at the bottom of my pile of thoughts was:
I pray because I want to spend time with God, and I miss Him when I don’t.
Here is a prayer I read in Kathleen Beard’s wonderful book, Into the Mist that brought me up short, really short:
My Lord, I have mistreated You all my Christian life. I have treated you like a servant. When I wanted You I called for You; when I was about to engage in some work I beckoned You to come and help me perform my task. I have kept You in the place of a servant. I have sought to use You only as a willing servant to help me in my self-appointed and chosen work. I shall do so no more.
Just now I give You this body of mine; from my head to my feet, I give it to You. I give You my hands, my limbs, my eyes and lips, my brain; all that I am within and without, I hand over to You for You to live in it the life that You please. You may send this body to Africa, or lay it on a sick bed with cancer. You may blind the eyes, or send me with Your message to Tibet.
You may take this body to the Eskimos, or send it to a hospital with pneumonia. It is Your body from this moment on. Help Yourself to it. Thank you, my Lord. I believe You have accepted it for in Romans twelve and one you said, “acceptable unto God.” Thank You again, my Lord, for taking me. We now belong to each other.
Raymond V. Edman
They Found the Secret
I can’t help but wonder how my life would change if I only had the courage to say that prayer and mean it. This prayer humbles me beyond words.

Blog Musings…..

“You weren’t an accident. You weren’t mass produced. You aren’t an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the earth by the Master Craftsman.” Max Lucado

I am running into a blogging quandary. Just when I think I have my sidebar all neatly arranged and my wonderful collection of blogs final, my sidebar bouquet perfectly crafted, I run into another wonderful blog I simply must add. This is the thought that has been nagging me: I just know that for every blog listed, there are hundreds more out there waiting to be found, waiting to be heard. And I will never have time to read them all!

This is also the most wonderful thing about blogs….and books. An endless procession of beauty and wonder waiting to be discovered. It seems I can never have enough books, or blogs. There is always a story that just has to be told, a new thought to express and a new way to express it. We will never run out of books or blogs or people. Each one is an individual’s own unique perspective, each one a different window to the world around us.

It has been two years since I started this blog, and I have never tired of it. I have never tired of you. How could I? You enrich my life with your words……you have become my blog family whether you want to or not, and I count you all as friends, even though we have never formally met. Some of you I won’t meet until we are all together with Jesus.

I wonder…….what would Heaven’s blog would look like?

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15