Little Things

 

 Tip: When photographing an animal, zoom the lens as far as it will go, then snap pictures as you slowly inch closer and closer to the critter. Better to weed out a few far-away shots than to try and get too close too quickly and not get a shot at all.

This year, God has taught me to appreciate the little things. The small details of creation are truly amazing to behold. This is not limited to the intricacies of the animal kingdom, either. In the last 9 months, I have experienced at differing points what it is like to live without taste, without hearing (partially), and without normal sunlight and clean air to breathe. You don't realize how much you take stuff like this for granted until you're forced to be without it for a length of time!

We can be encouraged, observing the small beauties and blessings in life. If God cares enough to put so much detail into a tiny butterfly, how much more does He care about carving out the details in our lives? We serve a truly wonderful God! No matter how chaotic your life may feel sometimes, He is taking care of you.

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his span of life?" (Matthew 6:6-7)

Sailing Through Life

Tip: Remember the rule of thirds in your photography and give your subject some context by showing some scenery around it. This provides a more interesting image.

Recently I had the pleasure of learning to sail, courtesy of a good friend of mine. Imagining what it is like to sail and actually sailing are two extremely different things. I always had an image in my head of someone blissfully steering a boat over sparkling blue water as the wind blew perfectly into their sails at all times. This, I have observed, is generally not the case at all.

Sailing takes work, and plenty of it. The wind will not constantly be blowing into your sails to take you where you wish to go. If you are in charge of the sails, it is your job to catch the wind; you must continually be turning and adjusting them or else you will end up either overwhelmed by too strong of a gust or perhaps find yourself stuck floating idle with no wind going into your sails at all. Meanwhile, either you or your shipmate must be constantly steering the boat- it’s not going to go where you wish simply by means of the current state of the wind.

In some respect, spiritual life can be this way too. You can't just expect your life to change for the better without steering in the right direction. While we are not saved by works (Ephesians 2:1-10), we also cannot expect to grow in Christ if we are not actively pursuing a deeper relationship with Him. If we are not frequently studying the Bible and making necessary adjustments to our life trajectory, we are bound to either become idle and go nowhere or else be swept down a path we ought not to be on.

Sailing a boat is a very grand and rewarding experience, but what shall be even more so is a life well lived for the glory of God- our Lord and Savior.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Stary Night

Tip: ALWAYS bring your tripod if you plan to photograph the night sky.

I've had the immense pleasure of doing a bit of stargazing this summer. The night sky is a breathtaking view. Nothing makes you realize the vast expansiveness of creation like looking up at the stars. It feels so infinite, and in turn, I feel so small. I'm just a dot in this universe, yet the God who is bigger and more majestic than the Milky Way saw fit to make me and stick me on this planet? Wow.

It is so true that "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork." (Psalm 19:1). Praise God for the beautiful world He has given us to dwell in, and thank Him for caring enough to create you and give you purpose.

College ≠ Ultimate Knowledge

Tip: Tall buildings look far more impressive when photographed from a low angle.

Ever since my senior year of high school, people have been asking me if I have plans of going to college. Back in 2013, I visited the beautiful Providence Christian College (pictured above) and nearly became a student. In the end, I decided to put further education on hold until I have a definite goal in mind that would be worth spending thousands of dollars to pursue.

Some people tell me that I should go to college so that I can figure out what to do with the remainder of my life. Considering the amount of time and money that would entail, I've been reluctant to take the gamble. Thankfully, college is not the only (nor most important) place to gain knowledge. The book of Proverbs states that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7a).

Where can we gain the fear of the Lord? In the Bible! That's right; no $100 text books, no $15,000+ tuition fees, and you aren't charged several hundred dollars per credit. In fact, now that we are in the digital age, you don't even have to pay to obtain a copy of the Bible. We simply need to invest our time into learning the words of wisdom that God has left for us. We can learn Who He is, know who we are (and what our place is to be), and be encouraged knowing that wherever we go, everything will turn out according to His plan.

College or not, life will never be entirely clear to us. Living in a fallen world will not always be easy, no matter our education. What we can count on, however, is that in the end, God will bless those of us who value and apply the knowledge of Him in our lives.

"Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
for the gain from her is better than
gain from silver and her profit better than gold."  
(Proverbs 3:13-14)

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)

Stumbling Upon Peace

Tip: When you go on a trip, leave the house early and be ready to pull over for spur-of-the-moment photo-ops. I promise, you won't regret it!

The moment I stepped out of my car, I was struck by not just the beauty, but the peacefulness of the above scene. Typically where there is a highway, one would hear highway sounds- tires on pavement, the occasional loud car radio booming. But here? This road was desolate; I heard the breeze blowing over the grass and trees, crickets and a bird or two chirping; far in the distance, the faint sound of a sheep pasture.

In this day and age, many of us forget what quiet and peace sound like and how important they are. We are so caught up in the noisy, busy rush of day to day life that we forget to take the time to find a peaceful place to think about and pray to God. The Lord says, "Be still and know that I am God..." (Psalm 46:10). We need that stillness. We need to spend time exaulting and honoring Him with our prayers and by pouring out our hearts to Him. Apart from learning about and talking to God, we cannot cultivate a true relationship with Him.

The book of Psalms contains many of David's prayers to the Lord; take time to read through them. Whether you are in a time of peace or a time of trouble, the book of Psalms is packed full of examples of how we may come before our God in prayer.

Tips For The Reader

 

 

Tip: Look for natural frames. Peer through doorways, tree branches, rocks, architecture, and more. It could be just the thing needed to add that artsy touch.

I discovered this little shop during a trip to Friday Harbor last summer. The side of the little early-American style house had a large sign simply stating, "BOOKS". After working at a library for the past 11 years, that's all that is necessary to get me to walk in. I opened the door and was immediately enchanted as I snapped the photograph above.

Books mean stories, entertainment, and most importantly, knowledge. Some people love them, other people just don't get the attraction. Wherever you stand, scripture has some good pointers that we can take to mind and apply to the topic (and whether or not the header applies to you, read it anyway- these verses are for everybody!):

To the avid reader- "Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil." (Proverbs 3:7) It is easy to look at other people and feel good about how smart you are. Don't even go there; that is not what knowledge is for. Yes, take in all those books, but do it to the glory of God and to encourage others to move towards Him.

To the one who can't stand reading- "I have stored up Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You." (Psalm 119:11) I know you may not enjoy reading, but even if you never read another book in your life, please at least read the Bible. We can only honor God if we obey His commands, and we can't very well do that without reading His word (and reading it repeatedly- we humans are pretty skilled at forgetfulness).

To everyone in between- "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth." (Colossians 3:2) Whatever find yourself reading, keep God in mind. If the book is full of good Christian morals, praise Him and strive to live out the qualities presented. If the pages are filled with dark deeds, foul motives, and other things displeasing to our Creator, use it as a reminder and warning- that is the fallen world in which we are to be ambassadors of Christ. It is not our permanent home, and someday it shall all be condemned and judged by God; never get sucked into that way of life.