Photography …

I enjoy Photography.
I need to learn how to “think outside of the box”.
Now, let me put these two sentences together.   I enjoy Photography but find myself getting bored with the possibilities I see around my place.  I need to “think outside the box”, I’m sure that there are tons of great shots to be made – but where are they??
AAAAUUUUGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!! Frustration!
I look at other people’s pictures and find myself wishing/longing to be “good” like them.   But I’m sure they sometimes feel bored with their surroundings. 
I end this short post like this:  I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX!!!!!

Tornadoes

I’ve always had this obsession with tornadoes.  They draw me to them.  They fascinate me, to say the least.  I have this strong desire to see one with my own eyes, yet a fear of the power that they display and the realization that I may not live if I see one up close.  I get a thrill from watching the movie TWISTER, for the adventure and excitement that comes from being a “storm chaser”.

They say that in the eye of a tornado there is almost a complete silence, and this has always been a beautiful picture for me! (maybe that’s why I like tornadoes so much)

When I think about the storms that I face throughout my lifetime, the many things that take place on the exterior.  The rumblings, the thunder, and the lighting that can cause destruction, even during these times there can be a CALM.  As I rest in the center of God’s will for my life, though the world around me may not make sense, there can be a place of quiet rest amidst the chaos and seemingly destruction that is taking place.

My soul, wait thou (be silent, be still, hold your peace) only upon God; for my expectation (hope, ground of hope, things hoped for, outcome) is from him.      (Psalm 62:5 KJV with additives from the Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Hebrew Definitions)

May I always strive for this place of quiet rest!

A Different Me

As I walk down the street, and interact with people I see, they see a different me! I put up a front that looks good.  I guess you could say, “I’m a hypocrite”.  They don’t see the real me.  The one who struggles with living a pure life, a life worthy of the calling.  I even put up a front with some of my closest friends!

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.”   Matthew 6:1 (NASB)

I have been convicted.  I’ve been thinking about this especially since I’ve been teaching the 3rd grade Sunday School class.  I appear to have it all together, I’m serving in the church, I attend church regularly, and I say all the right words when people ask me how I’m doing!

But do I really have it all together? NO!!! I have believed the lie that I’m doing alright, when in reality I’m not!  I have slipped, and almost fallen! 

With God’s help, I’m ready to get back up and say:  “I have sanctified Christ as Lord in my heart, always ready to make a defense to everyone who asks me to give an account for the hope that is in me, yet with gentleness and reverence.” 1 Peter 3:15 (personal paraphrase) 

It starts TODAY!!! Thankful for the Grace of God, by which I stand. 

A nugget from Greek class.

I want to share something I learned at Greek Class this evening.

We were translating Revelation 1:8 and came across the Greek words egw eimi – these two words put together mean “I myself am”

The context: Jesus speaking to the Apostle John and assuring the believers in the seven churches that He Himself Is. This verse is translated: "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (Rev. 1:8 ESV) So in a sense what Jesus was saying is: “ego eimi (I myself am) the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Now, let’s go to John 8:58.  The context: The Jews interrogating Jesus: Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?" Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, 'He is our God.' But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad." So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" (John 8:53-57 ESV)  Jesus’ reply is: "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am." From the Greek: Truly, Truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, - egw eimi – I myself am! Jesus was telling the Jews that even before Abraham existed “He Himself existed in the present tense”  

No wonder the Jews picked up stones to kill Jesus. Because of what Jesus said, claiming to have existed before Abraham they could (by their law) accuse Jesus of blasphemy and sentence Him to death!  

A Greek word that was of interest to me this evening: anaginwskwn – this word comes from the Greek word ginwskw which means: to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel (Thayer’s Greek Definitions) – notice the three letters added to the front of the word? Those letters are the prefix ana. This prefix brings a deeper intensified meaning to any word is precedes.  So in this case anaginwskwn means: to understand, or to read so you come to the understanding of the subject. A deeper knowledge, UNDERSTANDING!!!

I hope you enjoyed this little word study! Even if you didn’t get anything out of it, I did!

Choices We Make

Today I was struck with the realization that the choices we make will affect at least one other person, and depending on the choice more then one person is affected. 

I am in a current situation where this really hits home for me. I have made a choice that has directly affected another person.  But I also realize that when other people make decisions that affect us, in positive or negative ways, we have the choice of how we will act and what we will do.  Will we choose JOY in the hard times and good?

Old Moccasins my Grandpa used to wear …

For as long as I can remember I haven’t liked the size of my feet.  Maybe because I thought them too large to be considered “ladies” feet a “huge” size 10.  But recently I found reason to like the size of my feet. 

Last month my mother was going through my grandma’s items in my sister’s attic and stumbled across my grandpa Eberly’s moose hide moccasins, and since he has “small” feet (a size 8 mens) they fit me. 

Now I have my own pair of authentic moose hide moccasins, and every time I wear them I think of my Grandpa Eberly, a man I never knew, but have heard much about. I look forward to seeing him in glory!

A Pile of things to do …

There are piles of things here and there in my bedroom … but I lack the DISCIPLINE to DO that needs to be DONE!!

I have found that’s the way it can be spiritually too! A pile of bitterness here.  A pile of anger there.  A pile of immorality hiding under a chair.  and the list could go on and on …

I find it  easy to write about such things but to act takes too much WORK – I “know” what I need to do … but what about doing it?