Monthly Archives: December 2018

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Looking Back

This photo was taken looking back as we left Kusadasi on our recent trip to Greece (with one day in Turkey). The wake leaves a clear sign of where we came from.

As we bring 2018 to a close, there is value in looking back and reflecting on the past year. To see where we came from and how we got where we are.

It was a good year; it was a difficult year. We welcomed our third grandchild (good); we watched our son move to Philadelphia (difficult). We said goodbye to the Grand Poopah (difficult); we celebrated Marylynn’s retirement (good).

In life, as on a cruise ship, knowing where you came from doesn’t tell you exactly where you are going. But it does give a sense of direction.

Blessings to you in the new year!

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My Help

“I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From whence shall come my help? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; or your guardian to sleep.”‭‭. Psalms‬ ‭121:1-3‬ ‭

(Photo: Delphi, Greece)

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God in all things

Darkness

I really enjoy flying at night. Not only is there a good chance to see a spectacular sunset, I enjoy seeing city lights at night. This is a photo from a flight into Chicago. I was struck by the contrast between the lights and the darkness of the lake.

“The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:16‬

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Black and Blue

Do you recognize this famous location? I’m guessing not, unless you were watching very closely from an aircraft as you were flying out west.

I have written before about a song called “Masterpiece”, sung by Danny Gokey. I was listening to it again recently and was struck by a different part of the lyrics:

Guess I’m your canvas

Beautiful black and blue

Painted in mercy’s hue

I don’t see past this.

You see me now

Who I’ll be then

There at the end

Standing there as

Your Masterpiece

(Songwriters: Emily Lynn Weisband & Bernie Herms)

I chose to use this photo for these words because of its colors and because it is a famous location that is not easily recognized from this view. That is Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park.

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The Wilderness

A voice proclaims: in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low; the rugged land shall be a plain, the rough country, a broad valley. Isaiah 40:3-4

Photo taken in the Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada

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Goodness

This photograph of the sunset was taken in Mykonos using panorama mode. The sun causes problems for cameras (and our eyes) for one simple reason. The sun is really bright. Nothing else in our daily experience even compares.

In a similar way, it’s hard to talk about the goodness of God. Nothing else in our lives really compares to God‘s goodness.

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God in all things

It was Good

I like this photo for several reasons. I remember this day of hiking at Glacier National Park very well. We saw a number of bighorn sheep that day as we hiked to Grenell glacier and back. It was amazing to watch them walk and run along the mountainside. We heard that we just missed a couple of young rams butting heads. Maybe this was one of them.

I love the detail visible in this photo. He was close, but not really as close as you would guess – this was taken with a telephoto lens. The horns fascinate me, the way you can see the ridges so clearly. There may even be a couple of rings closer to his head; these mark the years of his life.

I think what I like best is the way he seems to be sticking his tongue out. Like he is taunting us, “you can’t catch me!”

God made every kind of wild animal, every kind of tame animal, and every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25.

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Two Sparrows

I took this photo at the end of a run a few weeks ago. I had forgotten that there was a man and his dog on the trail (barely seen in the distance). We seem quite insignificant against the backdrop of God’s creation. And yet we know that that is not true.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew‬ ‭10:29-31

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God in all things

Winter

With the arrival of cold weather, the hummingbirds and many other birds are gone. But the blue jays will be here all winter. Which got me to thinking (the point of using photos for my blog) about people. And how important it is for family and true friends to be there for others going through “winter”.

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