Help! I've forgotten what I look like!

I have to admit, I am rather ashamed. I started skimming past devotional blog posts I've written, and with each one, I am going, “Dang, I wrote this? How do I so consistently forget the lessons I've learned?” Writing a weekly devotional can be challenging, but it’s nothing compared to following the “practice what you preach” concept.

This verse pretty much sums it up:

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.” - James 1:22-24

It sounds like a slightly absurd thing, to look at yourself in the mirror and then instantly forget your appearance. It is, however, an appropriate comparison. We learn in the Bible and through teachers and pastors who we are in Christ and what that looks like. Then, we get sidetracked going about our lives and forget it all. It is a somewhat frustrating fact of Christian life that we all are likely to experience at some point or another.

Today, let’s pray that God will help us to better remember who we are in Him and be able to live it.

The Unspoken Message of Creatives

Tip: Think about color; does your background complement your foreground?

There are many types of creative people in the world: builders, writers, inventors, artists, cooks, and so many more! What do they all have in common? All creative people, whether they realize it or not, are creative because there is something that they or the world around them lacks. They could see a need for an invention to make life easier, a need for good food, a need for shelter, a need to share information or tell a story, a need for beauty, or perhaps just a need to show off what they are capable of and be appreciated. That is the difference between our creativity and God's creativity.

The Bible begins with Genesis 1:1 stating that "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." This short line speaks volumes. Nobody commanded God to create something. He doesn't have any feelings of need or lack because He is fully self-sufficient; He created something from nothing and continues to uphold His creation simply because He is God and it pleases Him to do so.

When you see the creativity in others and yourself, remember that it points to our great Creator. Let us join the psalmist below in praise to God for the wonderful gifts He continually gives us day after day:

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! 
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.

-Psalm 95:1-7

Christian Service: Are You Doing it Right?

Tip: If you don't have the right lens for blurring out the background, try to find a backdrop that will complement and/or go with your food photography! Don't show off a messy kitchen :)

There are so many ways that we can serve our Creator; more likely than not, at some point in your life, you have (or will!) be asking yourself what your "calling" is. You might be completely blank and just know you want to do something, or you might have a head full of bright ideas that you are trying with all your might to pursue. Having a strong desire to serve God is wonderful, but it was recently pointed out to me that even with good intentions, we must stop and make sure we have our priorities straight.

A person can go through their life running like crazy trying to keep up with their "dream goal" of service to God, and in the process, find themselves lacking time for Bible study and starting to neglect the practice of those great traits mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). When you start really stressing about trying to serve God, a question must be asked: are you really doing this activity for Him, or are you doing it because it gives you a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of worth?

Matthew 6:21 says "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Where is your heart at? If something happens and your ability to do your project for God gets taken from you, will you be absolutely torn up about it, or will you be able to move on, knowing that your worth and identity are in Him? Doing projects for the benefit of God's kingdom is a wonderful use of time- just don't let those projects become idols that you prioritize above God Himself.

4 Things to Remember in December- and Beyond

Tip: Take advantage of this season's bright lights and use them to create dramatic silhouette images!

As someone who has celebrated Christmas with my family all of my life, once in a while I run across that awkward moment when I ask someone what their Christmas plans are, only to find out they do not celebrate it. On the flip-side, I see people who like to throw "Jesus birthday parties". Whatever side of the coin you fall on, here are a few things we all ought to remember during December- and all the other months of the year:

1.) We don't know when Jesus was born. 
The Bible never gives a specific date, but over the course of history, people adopted December 25th as the official celebration date.

2.) Respect those whose views on Christmas differ from yours.
Because Christmas was never a biblically instituted holiday, we shouldn't pressure others to celebrate in the same way or the same time that we do.

3.) If you do celebrate Christmas, keep the focus where it should be.It's easy to get caught up in the sparkle, excitement, and senseless traditions that surround the Christmas season. Remember Who this time is for celebrating- honor God in your celebrating. If you don't celebrate, honor Him in your abstinence. Neither side should use this time as their chance to show off how "spiritual" they are.

4.) Celebrate Christ ALL the time! It doesn't have to be December to remember Christ's sacrifice for His people. Remember this always. Live your life in constant awareness that God set you aside as His own; thank Him and live your life to honor Him- all of the time, in every place you're in.

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord... The one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. (Romans 14:5-6)

I Practice Idolatry?

 Tip: For concert photography, shoot with high ISO numbers, open your aperture as wide as you can, and take a lot of test images with different shutter speeds to see how high of one you can get before your image goes dark. The higher your shutter speed, the less blurring will happen.

A couple of friends and I drove two hours and stood in a massive line to get into the concert hall. The adrenaline rush I experienced as I neared the door to the stage room was comparable to the feeling you get just as you reach the top of the first hill on a roller coaster (minus the terror). I was SO thrilled that it was happening: we were moments away from seeing one of my absolute favorite musicians play!

Hold up, there; doesn't God deserve some excitement? Do we ever feel thrilled at the privilege of going to Him in prayer? Are we filled with anticipation when we are about to open His word and read about the great things our Creator has done and learn how we can better please Him with our lives? We ought to at least be gladly looking forward to these activities, even if we aren't bursting with adrenaline over them.

In Exodus 20:3, our Lord states, "you shall have no other gods before Me". While worshiping handmade idols might not be an issue in your life, it is very possible that you may still be unwittingly participating in idolatry; anyone or anything that takes precedence over God in your life can be an idol. Will you put down your Bible the second you receive a text message or social media notification? Do you forsake spending time in prayer so that you will have a little extra time to spend hanging out with people or playing games? Or perhaps take credit for yourself that ought to be directed back to your Creator? I've been guilty of all of those- sometimes I still am.

Today, let your prayer be that God would forgive you of the idolatry that seeps into your life, and that He would give you the ability to live out today for the glory of His name.

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the gory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Silverwood Adventures

[[Pictures Below]]

Theme parks are so much fun. They also happen to be in perfect flow with my blog title, as the excitement of a carnival ride is exceedingly fleeting. Ecclesiastes 2 starts off with "I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. "Laughter", I said, "is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?" It's a valid question. What DOES pleasure accomplish? In reference to things earth has to offer, it ultimately accomplishes nothing. We wait in line anticipating how great the ride will be, we get on and have a blast, then moments later, the ride ends and we are no longer fulfilled- it is on to the next promising looking ride!

Humans are made with a special capacity to enjoy pleasures, which we generally use on entertainment and relationships. The thing is, we are never totally satisfied. In fact, as long as we are on earth, we never will be. Why? The entire reason behind our desire for pleasure is located elsewhere- in Heaven. We were made to take pleasure in our Creator, but since the fall, we've lost track of this fact. But some day, those who are called to the Lord will finally be fulfilled when they can worship & enjoy God for eternity. Until then, sure, we can enjoy good things on this earth in moderation- but never lose sight of (or neglect to thank!) the One who allows us these little joys and will one day grant us everlasting joy!

Camera: Samsung S860

Aperture - f/2.8

 Exposure- 1/15
ISO- 200
Lens- 35mm
No Flash.

 

Camera: Samsung S860

Aperture - f/5.2

 Exposure- 1/250
ISO- 80
Lens- 35mm
No Flash.

 

 

Camera: Samsung S860

Aperture - f/5.2

 Exposure- 1/750

ISO- 80

Lens- 35mm

No Flash.

Camera: Samsung S860

Aperture - f2.8

 Exposure- 1/4
ISO- 200
Lens- 35mm
No Flash.

Advice: Use a photo editing program or website to adjust the saturation & warmth of your photos if the sunset doesn't show up in the photos like it did in the sky.

Wow, FOUR photos!? Yeah, went all out on this post. I was just at Silverwood yesterday for my friend's birthday celebration. Had an awful time making up my mind which picture I should use for this post, so hey, might as well just upload them all :] 

Also, blogger changed the dimensions on these photos for some odd reason, so they look a tad bit odd, just fyi.