Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. Last week when I got up early to catch this sunrise I wasn't sure how much color there would be or if I would be able to create a beautiful image. The only way to know was to just get up and go. The first step of any job, photographer, writer, or whatever, is to just show up.
This short story about Tabitha in Acts is a story of someone who just showed up. We only read about her here. She wasn’t famous or important in the world’s eyes. She just made sure that the poorest of people, the widows of Joppa, had clothes to wear. She was just an ordinary person showing up with her sewing skill. Sometimes I look back on my images and my writing and I am surprised that I could ever make a beautiful image or write thoughtful words. I didn’t intend to become a writer or a photographer. I struggle even to call myself those things but for right now I am just showing up. I study and practice and go to sunrises. Sometimes the images are beautiful but a lot of them I just discard. What I don’t discard is the experience of watching a new day begin. So today I write to encourage you to just show up, to be faithful, like Tablitha, with the abilities you have right now. God is always faithful to us. Prayer Lord God As you have always been faithful and shown up for me, help me to show up today in whatever task you have laid before me, trusting you to make it something of beauty. Amen
0 Comments
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; It was time to go find the spring wildflowers in the mountains. As soon as I stepped on the trail this little scene greeted me, raindrops from the previous night’s rain still sitting on the leaves. They glistened as they reflected the morning sunlight catching the water that gives life to the plant.
After a long winter, spring rains bring the promise of new life to the mountains. The water on the leaves became for me a sign of hope. It reminded me of the promise in the vision of John that Jesus, both our lamb and shepherd, will lead us to springs of living water. We all have times when the sadness and hardness of life seem to leave us thirsty and parched. In those times we can trust that Jesus will lead us out of the desert to springs of living water that only he can provide. If you magnify the image and look very closely you will faintly see an image of me with my camera reflected in the raindrop. I think that we need to remember that Jesus also called us to reflect his love. Is there someone day with whom you can share a cup of living water in Jesus’s name? Prayer Lord Jesus Shepherd and Lamb, Refresh our souls with your living water and give us hope to share with others we meet this day. Amen Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. The first time you look at this image it seems like it must be a sunset - the sun is bright and the sky is dark. Actually this is the picture of a sunrise. It was supposed to be raining that morning so I hadn’t planned to walk down to the lake to catch the sunrise. I woke up early anyway and the sky out the camper window looked strange so I got up an walked to the shore. This is what I saw, this odd image of light and dark.
Sometimes your life is just odd. You are walking along a path with many good things and then trouble and sadness appear. You didn’t expect this curve in the road. It makes you stop. It makes you weep. It makes you wonder why. In these times you need an image like this one. You need a bright light bringing beauty our of darkness and the promise of a new day. For me this light is Jesus’s love and promise that joy will come again. Prayer Lord Jesus I hold on today to your promise of laughter after weeping, of light out of darkness. Amen But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. This is one of my favorite pictures of our first road trip through South Dakota. It happens to be in Custer State Park in the Black Hills. I have actually printed this image and it hangs in my sunroom. I love to look at it and come back to it again and again. Each time I look at it I remember the story behind it - how I wanted to get to a certain place for a sunset but a buffalo traffic jam kept us from getting there; how we found this random wide spot in the road to turn around and give up; how I walked up this little path and saw this tree and wide open valley before we turned around; how God gave me this image instead of the one I had wanted.
We all have experiences like this, experiences we treasure in our hearts. The visit of shepherds was an experience that Mary treasured in her heart. It must have been hard to have this incredible story of being chosen to be the mother of the Messiah. It was quite a different story than most people expected. It was even hard for her to believe at first when she asked the angel, “how can this be?” Maybe it was these experiences, the things she treasured in her heart, that kept her going at times when things were not as she expected. On our recent trip to Custer State Park in South Dakota I wanted to go back and find this little spot again. However there was a road closure on that part of the loop road. I was disappointed that I wouldn’t see this view again, but God gave me new experiences, new images. I will still go back to places that I treasure but I will also pick up my camera and walk into God’s world to see new things that he has for me to treasure - new experiences with him. What are some experiences that you treasure? How can you be open to new experiences of God breaking into your life? Prayer Lord God Break into our lives and give us new treasures of your love that we can share with those we meet this day. Amen He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: The Appalachian Mountains are my home. I love seeing mountain peaks in the distance, walking on mountain trails, watching water flow over rocks in mountain streams, finding wildflowers in the spring, and seeing the beautiful colors of autumn. The mountains represent a sense of security for me. So traveling to the prairies of North and South Dakota was a very different experience. The land was flat and I could see for miles. I was surprised at how much color I could see. The sky seemed so big and there was almost a constant wind, strong enough at times to blow you down.
As the mountains represent a sense of security and home for me, the wide open spaces of the prairies came to represent a time to open wide my heart. It was hard sometimes to walk against the wind and to feel small underneath a big sky filled with clouds. The prairie reminded me of the words and mission of John the Baptist. He was preparing the way for Jesus by asking people to open wide their hearts, to repent. As we prepare for Advent we need to open wide our hearts. It isn’t easy but this is the way to see God’s salvation. How can you open wide your heart today? Prayer Messiah Jesus Blow in our hearts this day and open them wide. Forgive us the sin we see in our lives and fill our wide open hearts with your love. Amen The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: I never appreciated the beauty of morning light or noticed how different it was from other times of day until I started taking pictures. Now I not only notice it but I get up early and search for it. On this one special day in Badlands National Park I saw the morning light totally transform the colors of the rock from the dull brown of midday to brilliant orange hues.
As David wrote these words I imagine him looking back over his life as king. Being a shepherd I am sure he had experienced the beauty of the golden light of morning. He also knew the kind of king he wanted to be. He knew that the times when he was that kind of king were times when he trusted in God’s power and served under God’s authority. He wasn’t always that kind of king but his kingship pointed to the one that would be the kind of king that would bring God’s righteousness to the world. It is King Jesus who brings the golden light of justice. The challenge for us is that now we are called, through the power of the Spirit, to bring justice to our world. It may be in small individual acts of service or larger actions with our community of faith. Either way we, in God’s power, bring the golden light of morning to our world. What will you do to bring God’s golden light to your world today? Prayer God of Light Shine in our lives the golden light of morning so that we can reflect your love and justice to our little part of your world. Amen And giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. It was too difficult and scary for me to climb down on the rocks below the Bass Harbor lighthouse to get the iconic shot of the lighthouse at sunset. I tried for a while but then we decided to move to the other side of the lighthouse and just watch the sunset over the ocean. As we did it started to rain. I don’t think I have ever experienced a brilliant sunset and a rain storm at the same time. Suddenly the rain stopped and the sun broke through the clouds. The sun reigned over the storm and made the clouds and everything in its light turn golden.
We have a king that breaks through our lives like the sun broke through those clouds that day. Jesus invites us into his kingdom of light. He dispels the darkness of our sin. His kingdom is like no other for in his kingdom he rules with perfect love. We have only to bow the knee and let him reign in our lives. Prayer O Great King We bow before you and thank you for rescuing us from the dominion of darkness of sin. We ask you to bring your glorious light in our lives and help us to reflect your light of love to others. Amen They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. The tree on this hill has stood for many sunsets. Its very presence is a testament to its ability to withstand the forces of wind and water. These words of Isaiah written to a people in difficult times brought a promise from God that one day their days would be like the days of a tree maybe like this one that stands so beautiful and strong on this hill. God promised that their needs would be met and their work would have purpose and something that they would enjoy.
These promises also bring us hope in difficult times for we are God’s chosen people. We will stand like this tree tall and strong because Jesus stood on a tree for us. When we follow him our work becomes full of purpose, his purpose, and brings joy to our lives. Prayer Strong and Loving God Make our lives like a strong tree. Show us the purpose for our work today and through it bring joy to our world. Amen Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; I loved this short hike to a waterfall in the White Mountains not because of the waterfall but because of the trail itself. It was a wide trail that cut through the forest, a forest of trees that towered overhead. As I walked through that forest I was overwhelmed by the size of those trees. Like those trees God’s greatness is overwhelming. We can’t begin to fathom how great he is. Yet in our smallness his great love surrounds us as I was surrounded by those trees on the trail.
Prayer Great God We praise you for your greatness and your love for us that no one can fathom. Amen And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. When I first started using a camera to do more than make a snapshot of a memory, I had no idea what aperture was or how it impacted a photograph. I was content to just put the controls on automatic and let the camera make the decisions. While this can make a good image, it takes away your freedom to create something that communicates what you feel. As I have spent lots of time taking pictures I have learned, along with other things, what an aperture is and have developed a confidence in my knowledge of the camera and photography editing software. This knowledge has allowed me to become freer when I take an image. Before I learned to use a camera I would have never even thought about taking an image on a rainy, dreary day like this one. But on this day, I saw this bright colored boat and I had the confidence to try to capture the feeling of seeing the boat; the juxtaposition of the dreary day and the single boat named “Morning Sun.” I hope my image makes you think about that for a while like it did me.
Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy while in prison, reflecting on his life as a way of encouraging Timothy to keep going. His words of encouragement explain why, even though he was in prison and probably facing his death very soon, he was able to offer those words. Over his life journey with Christ he had come to know him and was confident that Jesus would always guard him until he was safely with him, whenever that day was. His confidence gave him a freedom that transcended the bars of his prison cell - a freedom from fear and anxiety, a freedom to write these beautiful, encouraging words to Timothy. The more we know whom we have believed in, the more we develop a confidence that leads to freedom. Just like with Paul, it doesn’t happen instantly but instead over much time. The more we know him, like the more I know my camera, the more we can create lives that communicate the love of Christ. Prayer Loving God Walk with us today. Increase our confidence in You and make us free to share your love. Amen Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. New England is famous for its covered bridges; most built in the early 1800’s out of wooden trusses. Bridges were built to overcome the obstacle of crossing a river, connecting one side to the other. They were covered to protect the wooden trusses from the decay that comes from harsh weather. The covered bridges of New England were hard to build but once built they provided an easy way to face the obstacle of river crossing.
While river crossing is no longer an obstacle for most of us, we all face obstacles of different kinds. God’s word is the best way to face our obstacles. Like bridge building, understanding God’s word takes time and effort. The more we study it the more connections we will make not only between different passages but between God’s word and our lives. It becomes a part of us, of who we are. God’s word becomes a covering for us; protecting us from making poor decisions and giving us wisdom to face obstacles. Prayer Lord God, Give us insight from Your word. Help us make it a part of everything we do, of every connection that we make. Bring to mind the part of your word that we need to face the obstacles before us today. Amen Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ Since we retired my husband and I have taken two long road trips. Before we left we made sure that we had the maps that we needed, both print and digital, to keep from getting lost. There were a few times when we were a little unsure about which way to go and those maps came in handy. It is a scary thing to be lost on a scenic highway far away from any town and few cars. We will all travel down dark, difficult, scary roads at some time during our lives where it can be easy to get lost. God’s word is a map and resource to keep us on the road, but we have way more than that. We have a Savior who looks for us.
Prayer Great Shepherd Bring us back when we wander away from you and get lost. Thank you for seeking and finding us. Amen Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Yellow lady slippers are a rare find in the Smokies. I remember how excited I was the first time I found them a couple of years ago. So this year when it came time for them to bloom again I was so hoping that no one would have poached them and that they would still be where I found them. There was great relief and joy when I saw them again last spring. They are such beautiful and unusual flowers. I was filled with great joy. I was so happy that I think I must have taken a hundred pictures. I just wanted to sit there and look at them in all their beauty. I was so excited at finding them that I stopped every hiker walking by and showed them where to look. I wanted others to have that joy of seeing them.
This passage reminds me to remember the joy I had the first time and the last time I found the lady slippers. I think about a God who looks hard for us every time we are lost and then rejoices over finding us. Not only does he rejoice but his angels rejoice with him. And like the women who calls her friends and asks them to rejoice with her over the lost coin, God calls us also to rejoice when someone who is lost is found and to welcome them into our community. Prayer Lord God Who Searches Thank you for finding us when we are lost. Teach us to rejoice like you do when someone is found. Help us to welcome them with great joy for we were once lost too. Amen Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. The sun burst through the clouds and the camera makes its rays look like a crown, the crown of our mighty God who created the mountains. Instead of bowing down to the mighty God, King eternal, too many times we make things kings that aren’t worthy of honor and glory. We need to ask ourselves each day are we bowing down to the one true King or to one we have made ourselves. We will only find peace and security when we bow down to the one true King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God.
Prayer King Eternal We bow today to you and seek to bring you honor and glory with our lives. Amen Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. When I come to take a picture of a flower I must decide where and how much of the flower to put in focus. I can choose to keep the whole image sharp and clear or I can choose to keep only a small part of the flower in focus with a smooth out of focus background. Where I put the focus changes the image and message I convey with my photograph. We also make decisions about where to put our focus in our everyday lives. Will we focus on what is ours or will we focus on serving others?
In his letter to Philemon, Paul was asking Philemon to make a choice about where he would put his focus. Paul is writing not only to seek to reconcile two dear friends who are at odds with one another but also teach a Christian community how to live a life of reconciliation; to learn where to put their focus. You see, Philemon was a wealthy man, wealthy enough to provide a place for the church of Colosse to meet in his home. He was known for his love and faithfulness to Christ. Now Paul was asking him where to focus. Was he going to focus on what was due him by Onesimus, his slave who had not only run away from him but had probably stolen from him as well? Or was he going to focus on Onesimus and forgive him; not only to forgive him but to accept him back as more than his slave but his brother? We don’t know what choice Philemon made. We only know that the choice wasn’t easy. I think that Christ also asks us to make this choice each day. Where will you focus? The place you choose will change the whole picture you make with your life. Prayer Christ Jesus, Show us where to put our focus this day so that we can reflect your love to all around us. And if there is someone we need to forgive and accept back as our brother or sister in Christ, give us the courage to do so. Amen You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. As you travel to Cades Cove on Little River Road you drive uphill through the mountains. Then, just before you get to the cove, you begin a downhill descent. At the entrance to the cove this beautiful valley opens out before you. You are surrounded by mountains, hemmed in by beauty. I imagine what it must have been like to live in the John Oliver cabin, nestled up next to the mountain with the valley before you and the mountains in the distance. I never tire of going to the cove. I can’t really explain the feeling of peace that comes over me, especially when I am there in the early morning.
I believe that when we come to worship our God and open our hearts to him we can have that same unexplainable feeling of being hemmed in. In God’s presence we can safely lay bare our hearts for he knows everything about us, yet still loves us. Like the psalmist it is too much for us to understand or explain the freedom and peace that comes from being hemmed in. Prayer Lord God We open our hearts to you. Show us the path that you would have us walk and hem us in with your love. Amen Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Last night was new moon so we decided to make our way to Clingmans Dome so I could try my hand again at photographing the milky way. We got there a little before sunset and there were a lot of people there. While I was waiting with my camera set up a young man from Louisiana named Nick started a conversation by asking questions about the area. He was a very friendly and outgoing young man. He asked if I could send him my pictures so I gave him a card with my website and email. I told him about the chance of seeing the milky way in about an hour and he decided to stay. I watched him walk through the crowd stopping to talk to people. He told several people about the chance of seeing the milky way. He and a couple from Australia decided to stay with us to see the night sky. So we all sat together at the place I staked out for a couple of hours talking and laughing and just being amazed at the beauty of the stars. I learned a lot from that young man. When he spoke to people he asked their name and told them his and then he remembered their names. This was such a simple gesture but one that made a difference. This is the way to show the love of Christ, just simply taking the time to start a conversation and remembering someone’s name. Notice I didn’t say it was easy, just simple. It means we will have to let go of our fear, be a little vulnerable, and listen as much as we talk. And just maybe we may entertain an angel or more importantly share the love of Christ with someone who needs to know his love.
And for Nick with gratitude: I pray you have a safe trip and if you go to my portfolio page (Here) you will find my pictures from last evening. Let me know the ones you want and I will send you copies. Prayer Loving Father Open our eyes to the people around us today who may just need a smile, a kind word and someone to remember their name. Amen For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. We decided to take the scenic detour over the mountains on our way back from spending the week celebrating our grandson’s birthday. The summer flowers were in bloom along the roadside and I saw these flowers of different types all together, each unique with even a lady bug enjoying them (you have to look close, I didn't see it when I took the picture). It made me think of my four grandchildren, each so very different and each so precious - one who shows every emotion on his face and runs into your arms, one young man who loves playing games that involve numbers, one sprite of a little girl who loves to run after bubbles and balloons, and another little girl whose sweet smile and dark eyes will melt your heart when she says “I love you.” Like the roadside flowers, each child made by God is unique and precious. I am so grateful for their presence in my life; but even more grateful for their parents and their other grandparents who demonstrate God’s love.
Prayer Loving Father I praise you for the hope you are in my life and for my parents that taught me to love you. I ask your strength and grace for my children as they seek to teach their children to love and praise you. Amen Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Recently I have been walking on the trails at the dam close to where I live every morning. Each day I walk I see the ‘regulars’; some of them I know by name and some only by seeing them everyday. We all walk different routes and at different speeds; some run; some walk slow; some walk alone; some walk with a partner; some walk in specialty running clothes; and some walk in an old T shirt and jeans. Sometimes I get discouraged when I am passed by the same person and wonder how they can walk that fast. Even in the early morning I get hot and tired and wonder if I am going to make it back to the car. There are times when I just think I am going to sleep late today; but then I get up and see the beautiful morning light and decide to make the effort to walk. There is a joy in my morning walk that I truly miss, even the 265 stairs to the top of the dam in the middle of my walk.
The writer of Hebrews wrote to encourage followers of Christ who were becoming discouraged. They were being ostracized by their community and maybe their family and some were facing persecution. To encourage them he tells them of the great cloud of witnesses that have come before. None of the heroes he described in the previous chapter were without fault. They all followed God at different speeds, some quickly, some slowly, some were important and some were unimportant, and some required signs of assurance from God. Their lives weren’t perfect like this picture I just snapped with my phone; but like my picture they saw a way marked out before them and they kept walking. They walked toward a God who loved them. Dear friends let me encourage you to keep walking when you are hot and tired and discouraged. Your walk doesn’t have to be perfect; you won’t always have get a good picture. Some will pass you and sometimes you will walk alone. Even in the hard times, the 265 steps straight up times, you will find joy when you fix your eyes on Jesus. Prayer Jesus, Who Endured All For Us, Thank you for all the strong witnesses that have surrounded me in my life. Forgive the sins I sometimes cling to and keep me walking toward the light and joy of Jesus who endured all for us. Amen By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. I didn’t label this image with the location like I usually do. Without that label can you know where this road is, where it is going? All you know for sure is that it is a paved road in the fall. I am not sure I would just follow a road without having some idea of where the road would go. I spent many hours pouring over tour books and Internet sites when I planned our last two road trips. Now think about Abraham, a man that God called to leave his home and follow where God would lead. He didn’t know the road or plan the trip. He just obeyed God. God asks us to do the same thing. This is faith - to be willing to take the road that God lays before you without knowing where it is going. Thankfully we do have a guide in God’s word. Study it and then get on the road.
Prayer Master Give us courage to take the road you lay before us. Guide us home to you through your word. Amen |
Get In Touch
If you have something to share with everyone reading the blog, click on Comments to add your thoughts. Remember that your comments will be seen by anyone reading the post. If you want to just share your comments with me then click on the Contact link in the menu above. If you are looking for a particular scripture or post title then enter the word in the search box below. You can also find posts about specific topics in the Topics section.
Topics
All
Archives
March 2024
|
All the photographs in this site were taken by me. If you use or share anything from my website, please link back to this page. You are free to view and share this website by linking but I ask you not to download or redistribute anything from the site. Thanks.
Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan