Photography

When I was a teenager I was into photography. I had my own dark room, took photography in school, and was a pretty good photographer. When I was in my twenties, I began to travel a lot. While travelling, I was struck by the "Ugly American" syndrome. American's oversees are much more obnoxious than I could have imagined. One area that was particularly obnoxious, even more so than how they critiqued their hotel rooms while the locals were living in shacks, was how they incessantly took pictures. In fact, they took pictures so often that I don't think they ever really "saw" what they were taking pictures of! From that time forward I gave up photography and tried to enjoy what I was seeing.

However, recently I felt the urge to take up photography again. Maybe your forties is when you recover from your twenties? Anyway, since I now have Jesus living inside me in a new and powerful way, photography has become much more interesting. I noticed that I "feel" a photograph, then capture it with the camera. I don't really know why it is that what I am taking a picture of should be a good photo. I just kind of know that there is a story in the picture waiting to be captured. Then after I see the photograph, I meditate on it for a few minutes... kind of like I used to wash the paper back and forth in the development solution in the dark room... and I understand what the story in the photograph is! Here are some examples of photos I took on a trip to NYC with my Honey for our anniversary.

This picture is from Manhattan, near the entrance to the Battery Tunnel. If I were to name it, I would call it "Going Up?". The Street Light is a symbol of the "light of the world", Jesus, who is supposed to guide our path. However obscuring our view of the light is the One Way sign, and No Standing sign. The world has a direction of its own that it seems like we are "required" to go in, and we are pushed along with no time for standing. Destined for great heights, the world seems to be against us!

I knew there was something special about this picture when I took it. The depth of field, the center piece, background, and framing of the trees was visually captivating. I would call this photo "The Mission", and it is personal for me since I work at DHS. The center of the photo has the American Flag, with the wind blowing at a powerful rate. Wind is typically a symbol of the Holy Spirit, silently guiding and directing with only its effects being perceived. In the background is the Manhattan skyline, minus the twin towers. In the foreground a family merrily interacts, somewhat oblivious to forces at work around them. The trees with their winter coats on symbolize the season we are in. Although the sun is shining brightly, the reality is that we are in the final season. Will there be another spring, or will this be the last? The wind knows, and directs us with it unseen authority.

I was really pleased with this picture of the Statue of Liberty, it is as good as any postcard I have seen. The real story here is the shadows. Light and Dark, divided by three dimensions. I have a hard time verbalizing this story. The shadows are in the foreground, which is not typical. The green grass, very blue sky, and copper lady liberty seem to also speak of the separation of things. These forces are at work, and we are but a small part (notice the very small looking person at base of the stature). Ultimately the things Lady Liberty stand for are in contrast with her surroundings, and further highlight this division of dimensions. Light, Dark .. Height, Width .. Grass, Sky .. Big, Small ... Liberty, Bondage?

This photo snuck up on me. I didn't really notice it until I had some 4x6's made of the trip. This is a photo of the main building on Ellis Island, where immigrants were taken for processing during the mass immigration of the late 1800s and early 1900s. My ancestors came through this very building. The trees, less leaves, seem to be hanging over the beautiful building, obscuring it as if the stories of the immigrants are what really matters. In a way you can hear the souls, with their hopes, dreams, fears, standing up and saying "I am important, don't forget me". I was stuck by the almost "ghost" like feeling which is about Ellis Island, and I think that is what is being captured here.

If you finished reading this, thanks for investing your time! I hope it was rewarding.

What If?

In the Book of 1 Kings, chapters 17 and 18 we read about the life of Elijah. Elijah had incredible spiritual power. Elijah prayed that it would not rain, and it didn't. Elijah prayed that it would rain, and it rained. Elijah prayed and made people wealthy supernaturally. Elijah raised dead people back to life. Elijah prayed and sick people were made well. Elijah prayed and well people were cursed with sickness. Elijah prayed fire down from heaven. And finally, when it was Elijah's time to go, he prayed and chariots of fire came down and took him up to heaven. Take the time to sit down and read 1 Kings 17 & 18, it is a great read that will take no more than 15 minutes. Then Elijah's disciple Elisha followed after him and did twice as many miracles as Elijah! There are many other examples in the Bible of people with incredible spiritual authority (Jeremiah, Daniel, Samuel, David, Peter, John, Paul).

How did these people, men and women like you and I, get such spiritual power? Think about it. Of the billions of people who have lived since Adam, why and how did these get such authority? Was it something they were born with, kind of like a musical ability? Was it something they learned, like a PHD? Was it something that was imparted to them supernaturally?

I know that answering a question with another question is frustrating, but here goes...

What if a man or women devoted every waking and sleeping moment of their whole life from birth to death to the purpose of the God of this universe? Every ounce of energy, forsaking every other interest including food, sleep, friends, family, clothes, houses, ... everything fully devoted with all of the passion in them to the things of God. This makes me think of the early Catholic tradition of Monks and Nuns. But I am talking more of the former discussion. Was that what happened to these men of God? Did they devote every ounce of their being, forsaking everything else to God? And if so, is that why or how they obtained such power and authority?

Ok, so now another question to answer the question which answered the first question!

What If? What If... someone today were to do just that. What if someone were to devote every ounce of their being to pursuing the things of God. Would they see the spiritual authority that these men saw? Wow. It would only take a lifetime to find out!

Just Like Saul, We can be a new person

When we think of be coming a new person, or being "Born Again" we think of it as being a new testiment concept... something that Jesus taught. However, in the book of 1 Samual we see the following:

1Sam 10:6
And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

The "thee" in this verse was Saul, and the "them" is the prophets.

Jesus taught us that in order to go to heaven we must be born again, or become a new man.

John 3:3
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.


Here we see this same truth in the life of Saul. Samuel the prophet of God annoints Saul and he literly becomes a new man. He beings to praise God, and Prophesy with the prophets.


1Sam 10:10-11
And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.
And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What [is] this [that] is come unto the son of Kish? [Is] Saul also among the prophets?

This was so uncharacteristic of Saul, that people were astonished. When we devote our lives to following Jesus Christ, and he becomes the Lord of our lives and lives in us ... we should have a change in our lives that is significant. People should be talking about us, saying "What happened to this guy!"

If we have never seen this "born again" experience in our lifes, and we call ourselves a Christian (Of Christ), then we really need to be searching our soul to see if we have really devoted our lives to Jesus Christ. If we find outselves coming up short, then it is time to rededicate your life to serving Jesus Christ. In addition to praying that prayer of rededication, where you cry out to God and turn away from your self and towards him, we need to put some shoe leather on our faith. The book of James says:

Jam 2:26
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Often it is when we turn towards Jesus in our actions, that his Holy Spirit meets us and empowers us as it did Saul.

Clean by His Word

I was reading John 15 during my family time this evening and was struck by this scripture:

John 15:3 - Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

What a powerful truth! By the word of Jesus, we are made clean.

I am reminded of how our bodies work. Each morning I take a shower and I am clean, as clean as a shower can make me anyway! Throughout the day my body releases toxins and other waste, and I may touch things that make me dirty like when I work in the garden. By the end of the day, I am in need of cleansing again. Even if I didn’t work in the garden, or clean the fireplace, or do something that got me dirty, I am still in need of cleansing because my own self makes me dirty! And lets not even talk about what happens after a few days without a shower!

So is it with our souls. Even if we do not have a major setback and give in to temptation, we are still in need of cleansing and renewal from the only place that can clean us... Jesus Christ. One of my favorite scriptures 1 John 1:9 says that if we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I have found that just being in the presence of God provides cleansing and renewal. When I spend time worshiping him in my living room, or in church, I feel clean. But when I don’t spend time with Jesus each day, I start to feel like I would smell if I missed a shower! Not sick or tired, but not at all right!

Another one of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 53:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

11Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.

12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Jesus is forgiveness. Jesus give us freedom from sin, Liberty! Jesus makes us brand new!

Why does God allow suffering

The answer begins in Genesis, the book of Beginnings. God created mankind in his own image. We were created like God, with the freedom of making choices. If God had created us without that desire and ability, we would not have been in his image. In order to truly love, we must be free. Love by compulsion is not love at all. God gives us the choice to love him and follow his commandments, or the choice to not follow his commandments. In the Garden of Eden, mankind made a choice to not do what God asked them to do, and they tasted of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. This brought sin into Adam and Eve’s lives. Before that time, there was indeed no suffering. It was our choice not to follow God, and our choice to bring suffering into our lives. God did not create suffering, mankind did that by our choices.

So why doesn’t God just eliminate suffering?

God is good, in him there is no evil. This is his very nature, and it cannot be changed. God looked at poor Adam and Eve, shivering naked in the Garden of Eden, and had to do something with them. He could have wiped them out, and started over again… but God by his nature is good. God had compassion on Adam and Eve, and even though he knew Adam and Eve’s actions would cause suffering in their lives and the lives of their descendents, God loved them and wanted to give them a chance to choose to love him before he ended mankind. Would not any good father choose life and freedom for their own children, even though they would have hardship? What God did do, was to send his own Son at the appointed time to provide deliverance to all who loved him. Jesus Christ was appointed to die for mankind on the cross, so that all who love him might overcome the evil and suffering of this world and have eternal life. Jesus is our way to overcome and eventually escape suffering. God will indeed end suffering forever. However, in order to do so he must end this earth as we know it. Why? Because mankind gave Satan dominion over this world when they departed from God in the Garden of Eden. In order to end that dominion, this world as we know it must end. God is good, and he has provided a way for us to escape the suffering and have an eternity of perfection with him in a place he calls heaven.

So why doesn’t God bring us all to heaven now?

God is good, he cannot and will not do evil. God wants to make sure that everyone has a chance to go to heaven. Just like a father and mother in a family of many children love each and every child with all their heart, God loves each of us with all that he is. He has commissioned his followers to make sure everyone has heard about Jesus so that no one misses the chance for heaven without having an opportunity. God would like us all to go to heaven, but we are created in his image with freedom, and we must choose him. He cannot make us choose him. When all have heard the truth about Jesus, Jesus will come back and this world as we know it will end. Those who love Jesus will be taken to heaven where there will indeed, be no more suffering.