Thursday, October 27, 2016

Behind the Lens

Photography is something I got into later in life.

It certainly seemed born out of necessity rather than desire.

One day, I found myself serving on a committee.

Before I knew it, I found myself acting as its historian.

I thought it might be a good idea to supplement the documentation with photographs.

I knew nothing about cameras and even less about photography.

Ten years and literally thousands of photographs later, photography has become an integral part of both my life and my ministry.

It has also taught me some truly valuable lessons along the way.

Perhaps the biggest lesson it has taught me is patience.

I learned that if I patiently waited for the moment to unfold I would have a much better photo.

It has also taught me that candid shots are preferable to posed ones.

My favorite photos are of people actively serving the Lord with smiles on their faces.

It has also taught me about the importance of timing.

This is especially true of God’s timing.

Earlier this month I captured a breathtaking sunset.

A minute sooner and my view would not have been as beautiful.

A minute later and the opportunity God offered would have been gone altogether.

It has also taught me to be grateful for the smallest of miracles.

The other day I was walking past a beautiful bush with tiny orange blossoms when a tiny flash of movement caught my eye.

A closer examination revealed that a butterfly with black and yellow wings was taking advantage of the blossoms.

I must have taken two dozen photographs of this tiny miracle.

It showed no fear of me.

Although it flew from blossom to blossom, it never flew away.

When I examined the photographs later, I felt that God had given me a very special gift that day.

I was reminded of the time when Moses desired to see God more than anything else.

God had a warning for Moses.

Exodus 33:20 (NET) - But He added, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.”

We may not currently be able to see God face to face.

Yet God does grant us precious glimpses of Himself from time to time.

So often, we just need to slow down pay more attention.

Photography has taught me that as well.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, November 4, 2016.
I will be back here on Friday, November 11, 2016



Thursday, October 13, 2016

Only

I love the banners we display in church.

They are not only beautiful; they are also excellent reminders.

Recently, one in particular grabbed my attention.

It is the one that hangs directly behind the pulpit.

It simply states, “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

This is, of course, is the opening of Psalm 23.

The 23rd Psalm is a chapter from scripture we memorize at a very young age.

We turn to it repeatedly throughout our lives.

We find it a tremendous source of both peace and comfort.

Such were my thoughts minutes before the start of a worship service.

As time went by, I started turning these words over in my mind.

The next thing I knew the word “only” came to mind.

Before I knew it, I found myself inserting that word into this statement in various places.

As I did so, each result had an impact on me.

Consider each one.

ONLY the Lord is my Shepherd.

The ONLY Lord is my Shepherd.

The Lord ONLY is my Shepherd.

The Lord is my ONLY Shepherd.

Now it is true that the Bible warns us of the dangers of altering scripture.

Proverbs 30:6 (KJV) - Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

There are others as well but I feel I am on safe ground here.

Although the Psalmist did not use the word “only”, the word is implied.

I merely inferred it.

The proof lies in the remainder of the verse.

Psalm 23:1 (KJV) - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

When we make the Lord our ONLY Shepherd, we have absolutely everything we need.

C. S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory put it this way: “He who has God and everything else has no more than he who has God only.”

Lord, we thank You for being our only shepherd.

We thank You for being all we need.

We thank You for making us lie down when we make ourselves too busy.

We thank You for restoring our souls.

We thank You for conquering every fear we have.

We thank You for the salvation you planned for us from the beginning.

Amen!


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, October 21, 2016.
I will be back here on Friday, October 28, 2016