God in all things, Photography, Scenery, Travel

Prodigal

It’s not easily seen, but there is a single bird flying just at the edge of the clouds in the upper left. And several more birds near the center of the photo. I remember taking this picture when I saw the birds flying by. The sunrise was spectacular, but I love getting photos with birds in them. Sort of like the cherry on top of the sundae.

The parable of the prodigal son is really as much about the father, who Is also prodigal. Prodigal can mean to be wasteful or to give lavishly. God gives to us lavishly, like birds flying across the sky during a beautiful sunrise.

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God in all things, Photography, Scenery, Travel

Clouds

These photos of the New River were taken at Grandview Lookout a mere 2 hours apart. We got up in the morning expecting clouds and rain, so we were pleasantly surprised that the rain let up enough to go hiking in the late morning. We were also happy that the River was visible when we got to Grandview Lookout. That didn’t last long though and the gorge was completely obscured by low clouds before we finished the hike.

We all experience “clouds” in our lives that block us from seeing what is in front of us. Thankfully, God blesses us with times that we can see clearly, if only briefly. That is what discernment is about.

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God in all things, Photography, Scenery, Travel

New is Old

This is a photo of the New River Gorge which recently became a National Park. The name for this River is somewhat ironic because the New River is considered by some geologists to be one of the oldest rivers in the world.

In the Bible, there is a New Testament but there isn’t anything new about it other than the name. If fact, it is a story as old as God’s love for else. Timeless/eternal.

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God in all things, Photography, Prayer, Scenery, Travel

Bless the Lord

Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty, Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind; He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers. He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever. Psalms 104:1-5

Photo: Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone

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God in all things, Photography, Scenery, Travel

Us and Them

This is a view of El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite. I took this photo 9 years ago when we visited California. About a year ago, we got a puzzle that had almost the same view. And yet, not exactly the same. I’m sure many hundreds if not thousands of their individuals have taken similar photos but I am confident none are exactly the same as this one.

That is us. No matter how similar, not exactly the same. It is tempting to divide the world into “us” and “them.” “Us” are people who are “just like us” and “Them” are people who are not at all like us. This is not just an oversimplification of the world, it is flat out wrong. We do well when we both recognize and appreciate the ways we are different.

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God in all things, Photography, Scenery, Travel

El Camino

This photo was taken during our pilgrimage in northern Spain five years ago, El Camino de Santiago. That pilgrimage was the start in this blog; a way to share the times and places where I saw God “along the way.”

El Camino is a journey that begins before you arrive in Spain, maybe even before you even begin your planning. And it certainly does not end when you arrive in Santiago. For me, this photo journal is but one way that the journey continues.

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God in all things, Photography, Scenery, Travel

Up Close or Far Away

This photo was taken at Arches National Park of an area called the Fiery Furnace. It gets its name from the fiery red appearance at sunset. Not only is it dramatic from a distance, it is dramatic to hike through with numerous sandstone arches including the Walk Through Arch, Crawl Through Arch, Skull Arch, Kissing Turtles Arch, and Surprise Arch. To limit the impact on the environmental, a permit is required for access to the Fiery Furnace (or you can join a ranger-guided tour).

Creation, amazing up close or far away.

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God in all things, Photography, Scenery, Travel

God’s Presence

This photo was taken on one of our last days at Yellowstone. When we arrived at this trail, we had to wait a few minutes because there were a large number of bison crossing the trail about where I was standing to take this picture. They are visible near the center of this photo.

There were a couple of times during our trip when bison crossing the road created a back up of cars. Close encounters with bison are not infrequent. In fact, I was surprised at how easy it was to observe them up close (from our car). They seem quite oblivious to the people and cars around them. Then you read reports about a bison attacking a car (or person) and you realize they not completely oblivious to our presence around them.

I think we are often like the bison – nearly oblivious to God’s presence around us. Occasionally, we do recognize God and can not help but react.

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God in all things, Photography, Scenery, Travel

An Imperfect World

This is the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone. When we were there, we saw the spring from multiple different views on two different days. This was the first day we saw it; it was a very cloudy and drizzly day. As a result, it was hard to get a really good view of the spring. We went back 2 days later on a much clearer (and warmer) day. What a difference in the views! That said, the views were still amazing this first day.

So what would my impression of the Grand Prismatic Spring have been if I had only seen it the first day? Disappointment? How often are we disappointed because something is not “perfect”? How do we even know what is perfect?

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