David's Radical Respect

Then David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan
are dead?"...And the young man who told him said, "... He said to me, 'Stand beside me and kill me,
for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.' So I stood beside him and killed him, because
I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the
armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord."

Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they
mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the
LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword… David said to him, "How is
it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?" Then David called one of
the young men and said, "Go, execute him." And he struck him down so that he died. And David said
to him, "Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed
the LORD's anointed.'"   - 2 Samuel 1:5-16

While we don’t go around anointing our country leaders in the United States, I feel like this passage still
speaks volumes about how we should regard our leadership. If you go back and read the book of
1 Samuel, you’d see that David doesn’t have a great relationship with Saul. For years, David has been
on the run and in hiding because Saul has been actively trying to murder him.

Any of us in that situation would probably respond with “He’s dead? FINALLY.” But David? Despite the
fact that his life is no longer being threatened, he knows the role of the king. Saul was God’s chosen
leader for Israel for that time period. While David may well have been relieved to not have to flee Saul,
he looked past his own interests and towards the interests of God, who both condemns murder and
raised Saul up to be king.

This mindset is still very applicable today. While our president and other world leaders are not generally
chosen by visions from God or being anointed, God is still sovereign. Nobody gets into leadership by
an accident or oversight from our Lord. While we may not know God’s purposes behind who is in the
office or the actions they take, it doesn’t change the fact that they are our leaders for this piece of
history and God allowed them to be there.

We are not called to applaud everything our leadership does (David certainly didn’t cheer Saul on in
his murder attempts!). We should, however, act in the same respectable manner as David did towards
his nation’s king. He respected Saul’s role, did not harm or slander him, and was angered when
someone acted out in sin towards Saul (even if by request of the king himself)- because, after all,
murder is still murder whether by request or not.

How do you regard your authorities (whether domestic, local, or national)?

Why I Hate Selfless Love.

I’m going to risk sounding like a bad Christian and start off this week’s devotional by saying this:

Selfless love sucks.

It takes your resources, your time, your energy. It can range from being mildly inconvenient to downright painful. It means we have to be aware of how our words and actions affect others instead of blurting out everything we feel in a moment. It means we should care for others when we’d rather focus on taking care of our own burdens.

It also means we need to be more like Christ - which sounds pretty ideal until we realize how much hardship and rejection He went through. Do we really want to go there? Nowadays, society won’t judge us for focusing our time and energy on ourselves or for simply chasing what makes us feel good. So why bother?

It is now December, and the answer is basically staring us in the face. The lights I keep driving past may just seem like fun and festive decor to most, but to those who believe in Christ, they should also be a reminder. A reminder that the Light of the World didn’t just sit up in Heaven enjoying Himself.

God’s creation had (and still has) turned against Him. If I were Him, I’d be inclined to say “Well, that was stupid. Screw humanity. I’ll just chill up here while they suffer for rebelling against my design.” But, God isn’t made in my image (thanks be to Him for that!). So, instead, Christ exercised selfless love. He confined Himself to a human body. He chose to help society’s hopeless and looked down upon sinners rather than taking on a glorious political position or snubbing everyone like the “good” people did. He was despised, rejected, and even betrayed by those who said they loved Him.

What does He do in return? He takes on the punishment of damnation so that our debt is paid and we can be adopted into His family and have the ability to love Him.

Selfless love sucks.

But, it was given to us by Christ. So let’s pay it forward. And backward. And everywhere in between. Let’s selflessly love Christ by following Him and His Word no matter what. Let’s selflessly love others because that is what Christ did and wants us to do, too. It won’t always be a warm fuzzy feeling, it may mean we’ll get dirty or uncomfortable or worse.

It won’t be like a Hallmark Christmas flick, but it is the best way we can celebrate Christmas both in December and throughout the year.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.” - John 15:9-17

When Good Things Become Bad

There is a song that I enjoy called "Good Things" by M'Kalister Park. This song talks about how good things can become bad things. Ever since I read a particular Bible passage the other day, I've had it running through my head. Why? Because letting a good thing become a bad thing is exactly what the Israelites did.

The Ark of the Covenant was kept in the Holy of Holies, inside of the tabernacle, where the Israelites would go to make sacrifices of worship to God. Inside, one could find several objects that were touched by God and important to Israel's heritage. The Ark was a reminder of God's miracles and provision from the days when He had appointed Moses to lead them out of Egyptian slavery.

The ark was fine and good when viewed as a symbol of God's power and provision. The problem began when Israel began to view the ark as a good luck charm and a source of power. With this false mindset in their heads, they removed it from the place where God had commanded it to be kept. Israel then brought it with them into battle against the Philistines.

What happened next? Rather than the power and blessing they undoubtedly expected, Israel lost the battle. On top of that, the Ark of the Covenant got captured by the Philistine army. God used this time to teach both parties a lesson. To Israel, their defeat and loss of this precious item was a reminder that power and blessings do not reside in things- they come from Him. To the Philistines, God showed His power by knocking over and breaking their idol god, Dagon. Beyond that, the Philistines and anyone who was near the ark began to go crazy and break out with tumors.

You can read the whole story in 1 Samuel 5.

This account reminds us to check ourselves: are we worshipping God? Or are we just thinking of Him or things related to Him as good luck charms? 

The Book of Ruth: Not the Love Story You Thought it Was

I feel like the book of Ruth has been overly romanticized. I always see Ruth held up as a biblical love story to remind girls that "God has a Boaz for you" (which, I must point out, is definitely never promised in scripture). I've heard summaries that go along the lines of "Ruth waited and God provided the right guy for her". Now, yes, that is true, but also take note that Ruth's first husband died. The account of Ruth is far more than some cute little story about a young woman waiting for the right guy.

At the start, Ruth's mother-in-law, Naomi, becomes a widow. Shortly thereafter, Naomi's two sons die and that leaves Ruth and her sister-in-law, Orpah as widows also. Naomi plans to return to her people but urges the girls to stay and find new husbands while they're young. Orpah agrees, but Ruth does not want to leave her grieving mother-in-law on her own. Ruth's mind was not on finding a new man to be with, but on being there to support her mother-in-law in the worst time of her life.

When it comes to Ruth meeting Boaz, it was never presented that she fell in love with him, as we might like to think. She does intentionally put herself in his presence, but it is because the custom of the day was for a widowed woman to be "redeemed" by a close relative of her husband. The idea behind this act was not to find new love, but to perpetuate the family name of the deceased husband. Boaz praised Ruth for not going after the younger men, but rather choosing to honor her husband by seeking a redeemer with whom the family line could continue through.

The moral of this story is not that God will provide a man for every girl who waits. The real lesson here is that Ruth chose to make love an action in her life and God blessed her through it. Ruth chose to love and support Naomi in her hardest time rather than seeking a new man to marry. She also chose to love and honor her deceased husband by finding a relative with whom to continue the family line. Did she find a man to love in all of this? It appears so. Was that her primary goal? Not in the least.

Read the story for yourself in Ruth 1-4.

Doing What Feels Good

"You can't eat donut holes for breakfast, Sarah," my friend Matthew said, staring down at me. We have a running joke that he is my dad, and occasionally he lives up to the title. This was one of those times. "Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes, shoving another TimBit into my mouth, "And what would you suggest?" "Eggs! You should start your day with protein," he informed me. "Okay, sure," I grinned, and continued to devour the donut holes. He was right, though. Later that day I found myself hungry, low-energy, and somewhat irritable. 

Isn't that such a perfect picture of the human state? We are told what would be good for us, we know deep down what would be good for us. Yet we charge forward doing what feels good in the moment rather than slowing down and living by the knowledge we are given. It has been happening for all of history.

Romans 1:28 says, "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done." -- This is the result of letting our desires rule us. God will let us do what we want, but will it truly benefit us? Will it end well? Sometimes God sees our strong wills and decides it would be best to let us learn the hard way. 

What about you? Do you read of God's desires for us and do them, or do you charge onward to pursue your own way of life because it's what feels good to you right now? Be careful, my friend. 

What is your captor?

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. - Judges 3:7-8

While forced labor isn't as common in the world now as it was in those days, the principal of this passage still holds true today: when we take our eyes off of God and stray from His ways, we will find ourselves in captivity. Likely not physical captivity, but often times we can fall prey to emotional or psychological captivity. Or, perhaps we may find ourselves in captivity to addictions of varying sorts, whether it be something as bad as drugs or alcohol or something innocent looking as online video streaming or social media. 

Are you looking to God for comfort and direction, or are you on a mission to drown your sorrows and life complications with the random things that suit your fancy in the short-term?

You Can't Overcome Your Biggest Obstacle

Water: it is one of the main boundaries in the world. Cities are divided by rivers, properties may be divided by a stream, and the continents are divided by an ocean. Sometimes, water separates us from things unexpectedly, like in the photo above when the walking path between two nearby towns flooded and became impassible by all practical means. 

In the Old Testament, water was the separating factor between Israel and their escape from Egypt. Later on, it was the one thing between them and their impending conquest of Jericho. In both of these accounts, however, God used this great obstacle to remind the people of His power and protection.

In Exodus 13:15-18 we read, The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

Fast forward a number of years, and we see in Joshua 3:7-13 a similar event: The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

The likeness of these two instances really struck me. God lead His people through many obstacles over time, but it was fascinating that of all things they would cross a body of water on dry ground twice. What are the odds? Well, humanly speaking, zero. Even with our modern technology, we still cannot instantly dry out a path through a river or sea. At best, it would be a muddy swamp that your feet would get stuck in. But God? He knows no limits. Perhaps, He gives us our most limiting obstacles to remind us that it is not we who have the ultimate power, but Him. He will give us what we need to overcome them in His timeframe and by His will.

We Are Not the Pinnacle of Creation

This week I was faced with an idea that completely changed my perspective on the account of God's creation: mankind is not the pinnacle of it all.

I've continuously read and heard people say how God "saved the best for last" and created humans on day six. We were made in His image and are the crowning glory of His creation. That statement isn't entirely wrong- we are uniquely crafted in His image and were the last visible thing to be created. Day six, however, is not the end. 

I've often read through the creation account, thinking of the grandeur of it all. Everything about the universe, the earth, the continents, the animals, and then us. All of it spoke into being by God. Wow! Oh, and yeah, then on the seventh day God rested. That last part always felt like a bit of an anticlimax to me, a tidbit tacked on at the end of this amazing piece of history. If nothing else, it was good reminder that after a long week at work, I am entitled to a break, too. I always read it as if God's work ended on the evening of the sixth day. It didn't.

The seventh day dawned, and then God finished his work. It was not declared done on the sixth day because He had one last thing to do: He created the seventh day, which He set apart as holy. He was satisfied in His work and rested. The culmination of the entire creation account does not end with us. It ends with God being satisfied in what He has done and resting in nothing but Himself. The pinnacle of creation is not us coming into being, but His rest. 

It makes so much sense. Isn't that what we as Christians are always striving towards? The end when we can finally and fully rest in Him in heaven? It never boils down to us in the end. It always has been Him, and it always will be about Him.

"And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation." - Genesis 1:31-2:1-3

Our Blurred Vision of a "Silent" Night

We all tend to take the story of Christ's birth for granted, and on top of that, our cultural depictions of the nativity have caused us to have an askew perception of what it all actually would have looked like. Due to this, many of us have lost (or perhaps never fully gained) an appreciation for the night of Jesus' birth and the hardship of those involved. Hardship, You wonder? But what about a "Silent Night"? 

Imagine it. You're required by your governing authorities to travel roughly 89 miles - without the use of modern vehicles. According to Google Maps, this would take around 30 hours under normal circumstances, but your wife is so pregnant she could pop at any time and likely has to travel slower. Once you get into town, all the boarding houses (which at the time would generally be large shared rooms without actual beds) are stuffed to the gills - you have nowhere else to turn, so you are forced to take up the innkeeper's offer to stay with the animals. 

If you've ever been in a barn, you know they are full of dirt, flies, manure, noise, and a general stench. That's a modern barn, with running water available to hose it out every now and then. The stables of that day would have been smaller, lacking any running water, and most in that day were small caves or cut-outs in stone. Top it all off by helping your young wife give birth to her first child in there- on the ground, with no anesthetic or sanitary precautions. Oh, and that cute wooden manger artists depict? Try a stone trough, full of old animal food, drool, possibly flies, and who-knows-what-all-else, to lay your newborn infant in. 

A lot to take in, is it not? Miraculous? Absolutely. Wonderful? Entirely. Silent and peaceful? Probably not. Nothing in scripture seems to warrant such an assumption, and really, why should it? Despite being the Son of God, Jesus Christ faced hardship at every turn throughout His life and death as a human on earth. Why would His birth be any different?

All this, however, is not to detract from the glory of it all. It IS a glorious occasion, and it shows the incredible humility of our Lord, to forego a dramatic kingly entrance (of which He absolutely deserves and could command!) and instead be born in this fashion. Remember these things as you celebrate throughout the Christmas season this year. Glorify Him, and don't get too caught up in the pageantry.


"In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed [that is, his fiancée], who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."  - Luke 2:1-7

First Impressions

“The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land." - Genesis 42:30

Partway through the account of Joseph in Genesis, Joseph has been promoted to second in command in Egypt. During the massive famine that ravaged the land, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to purchase food. By this point, it had been a considerable number of years ago that they had sold Joseph into slavery and they assumed he had likely died or been killed. They would have never guessed that the harsh Egyptian lord who stood before them could possibly be their long lost younger brother, and they certainly didn't think that this encounter could end up leading to one of the greatest blessings their family could have (an invitation to come set up residence on a nice parcel of land in that region!).

The fact is this: things aren't always what they seem- we can't take everything at face value or first impressions. When my friend and I were walking through Seattle, we didn't think terribly much of that iPhone billboard at the time. It was just another advertisement among many. Well, guess what? Later that day, it turned out to be the one landmark that enabled us to find our car after nearly two hours of searching! You just never know what God could use to ultimately bring about His blessings.

Taking The Better Land

Tip: Experiment with the panorama function for landscape photography. Hold your breath and turn your upper body rather than your arms or feet for a more steady shot.

In Genesis chapters 13 & 14, Abram and Lot come to the conclusion that there isn't enough space in the land for both them and all of their possessions and families. Abram steps up and gives his kinsman the first choice for land. When given the option to choose what he liked, Lot of course picked the nicer looking side to travel into. Who wouldn't, right?

As the story continues, it turns out that while Lot's choice may have been good as far as the quality of the land itself, it came with an unexpected downside: the inhabitants were incredibly vile people. At one point, the land even gets pillaged by opposing armies and Lot ends up taken captive (but Abram gathers an army himself and rescues Lot and defeats his captors). Later on, God ends up sending His messengers to tell Lot to flee the city he is in because He intends to destroy it due to the great sinfulness of it's inhabitants. 

How often are we inclined to jump at the first choice without thinking of what our friends or family may want or need? How often are we the ones who have the ability to take whatever option we desire, but instead kindly offer the first pick to others? We may not run into the bad results that Lot did when he decided to take what he thought to be the best for himself, but nevertheless, we are called to treat others as we would wish to be treated:

"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)

Oh, where do we begin? The rubble or our sins?

Tip: When photographing abandoned buildings, try to position yourself near a window to take advantage of ambient lighting; it is much more enchanting than harsh bulb light.

This abandoned room reminds me of the lyrics of one of my favorite popular songs:

I was left to my own devices
Many days fell away with nothing to show

And the walls kept tumbling down
In the city that we love
Great clouds roll over the hills
Bringing darkness from above

But if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like
Nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes,
Does it almost feel like
You've been here before?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?

The bridge of the song states this:

Oh where do we begin?
The rubble or our sins?
Oh oh where do we begin?
The rubble or our sins?

The song is titled Pompeii, and it depicts a vibrant culture that was bent on vanity and living large. Enamored with their entertainment, beauty, and success, these ancient people never would have imagined that their gorgeous city would be ground to a halt within a few hours. I imagine whoever once lived in the room pictured above never would have imagined it standing there the way it is today, either.

What about us? Do we, in our fast paced societies, ever stop to contemplate the fact that our lives and accomplishments are not everlasting? Do we take time out from our day to day lives to seek out the knowledge of the One who is everlasting and apply His counsel to our lives?

Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

would have none of my counsel

and despised all my reproof,

therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,

and have their fill of their own devices.

For the simple are killed by their turning away,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

-Proverbs 1:29-33

3 Overlooked Lessons From The Great Flood

Tip: When photographing in potentially dangerous situations, come prepared with emergency items and the knowledge of how to save yourself if you get in a pinch (or even better: a friend who can help). If you aren't prepared, leave.

Nearly every year, there comes a period of time when the river rises and the snow melt carries in lots of extra water and debris to the valley in which I live. Flooding is a good reminder of the one great flood that God once sent, back in the times of the book of Genesis.

Typically, when the flood of Genesis is mentioned, people automatically think of Noah and the animals all crammed onto a boat floating around, ending with the rainbow of God's promise to never again wipe all living things from the earth. While these are key aspects of the account, there are other lessons that can be gained. Here are a few:

1.) God is not required to show us mercy as we live in sin. 
The whole reason this all happened was because "The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time." (Genesis 5:5). While He has promised never to exterminate all living things from the earth, do note that He can and has struck down smaller groups and individuals as He has seen fit (remember Ananias and Sapphira? Acts 5:1-11; Also, the cities of Sodom & Gomorrah- Genesis 19:1-29)

2.) God does choose to show mercy to some people.
"So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord." (Genesis 6:8). God could have chosen to lump Noah in with everyone else and call humanity a waste as a whole, but Noah honored God in his living and the Lord chose to let him and his family continue on.

3.) Numbers are Irrelevant.
To many groups, having a large number of attendees means the difference between a church that is "alive" and a church that is "dying". That simply is not the case. Nowhere in scripture does it say that you must have a big Bible study or belong to a mega-church to be spiritually fruitful. When God sent the great flood to wipe out the races, notice that out of all the people in the world at that time, he only saved eight - "On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark." (Genesis 7:13). Also, again referring to the account of Sodom & Gomorrah in Genesis 19, notice that the Lord only saved one family. As Matthew 18:20 states, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Thank God that He has shown you mercy though you don't deserve it. Thank Him that He chooses to at least save a few people. Thank Him that He shares His presence with us and will bless even the smallest groups of people. 

The Tale of Garnet

Tip: Experiment in post-processing with light brushes to make your focal point really pop out!

Tucked away at the top of a treacherous gravel road in the mountains of Montana is a town called Garnet. Once upon a time, it had been an incredibly successful mining community- one of the largest in the area! It had thousands of people and hundreds of structures. Then one day, the mines began to diminish. People began to move out of the area, and eventually a huge fire burned down the majority of the city.

Garnet is now regarded as one of the region's best preserved ghost towns, rather than the region's most successful mining community. What we see of it above is what once was the main sitting room of their grand hotel- at one point a glorious and prestigious three story structure (which for the 1800's, was great!). Now, it remains uninhabited and it's contents are left to slowly disintegrate over time.

In it's strong days, people wouldn't have imagined a time that their great town would be reduced to this. Even the greatest success is temporary. Let us remember that only God is worth exalting. Our own earthly successes only exist because He has allowed them to, and one day they will fall by the wayside.

"Thus says the Lord, 'Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and not let the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,' declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 9:23-24)