Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. Jacob was on the run in fear of his life due to his deceitful actions. During the night Jacob had an amazing vision from God that is called, “Jacob’s Ladder.” Before he continued on his journey the next morning, he wanted to mark the place in a special way. For him the place had become sacred because it was here that he had an encounter with God.
There are times when we encounter God in special ways. We don’t have to be worthy to have these times. We just have to be open to them. Remember Jacob was running away because of things he had done that were wrong. The times we encounter God may not be in a glorious dream but in the quiet presence of the Holy Spirit standing in front of a tree. So the image of this tree and this place have become a sacred place for me. I still remember the day that I took this picture. It was Sunday, January 22, 2012. I had just gotten a new camera and wanted to learn how to use it. After church on a very cloudy day I took my new camera to the dam and took this image. It isn’t a very good image but still I keep it as a marker, a sacred place. It was here that I began a journey with my camera that led me to times and places I couldn’t have imagined. I have had many more encounters with God with my camera and many of them in front of a tree. Where are your sacred places, places where you have encountered God? Prayer Holy God Thank you for sacred places and times when we encounter you. Break into our lives today. Amen
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How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! This is the path I walk as many days as possible. It is isn’t a famous place, just a walking trail close to home. Sometimes I walk it with a friend and sometimes alone. I walk in all seasons and a few times I have even walked in the rain. Each time I walk I see new things - foggy days and clear, blue skies, beautiful colors in the fall, wildflowers in the spring and summer, and frost crystals on the grass in winter. I didn’t use to notice these things. My camera has taught me to see amazing things in my everyday world. The more time I spend in nature, the more I stand in awe of God Creator.
It is interesting to me that as I have come to have a deep desire to be in nature I have also developed a deeper desire to study God’s word. I don’t think that it is a coincidence. I know that as the Holy Spirit used my camera to show me God’s world he has also put new scholars in my path. My view of the scriptures has grown and now I have learned to read them with awe and wonder. I have learned to see the intricate patterns of the writing and the art of the Biblical authors. I have learned to value the importance of story and how the Bible is God’s story of redemption through Jesus Christ. And in the midst of all the wonder of nature and the Scripture is the most amazing thing of all, God walks with me. In the words of David who I think must have first learned about God through his time as a shepherd, “when I awake I am still with you.” Prayer Creator God Keep me filled with awe and wonder of your world and your word for wonder is the beginning of worship. Amen This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. I have come to see light as a mystery. Before becoming a photographer I didn’t know that artists describe light as having the properties of color, intensity, direction, contrast, and quality. It was just light, bright or dark. The more I learned about light the more I wanted to know. Sometimes I can have a guess about what the light will be like at a specific place at a specific time but I can never know for sure. On the morning I took this image I thought there was a chance for some spectacular light but I stood in awe of how the light made everything glow in shades of gold and red. The dull brown grass that was at the place the previous day was transformed by the light.
John writes that God is light and light is a mystery. The more we sit in God’s presence and read his word the more our perception of God grows and changes. Mystery requires humility, for God is infinite and we are finite creatures. We have to be able to let go of concrete understandings and be willing to open our eyes to seeing God in new and beautiful ways. So we walk in the mystery of God’s light and love. Prayer Infinite Mysterious God, Shine your light into our world today so we can walk just one step further towards your beauty and love. Amen The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. As I sat on the lakeshore in the early morning, I saw Mt. LeConte rising above the clouds. I have only climbed halfway up the mountain to Alum Cave. I want to climb all the way to the top one day. It will take work and the help and guidance of a friend who has climbed to the top.
“Further up and further in” these are the words of C. S. Lewis from the Last Battle book of the Narnia Chronicles. They are spoken as the children follow the great lion, Aslan, as he leads them into his country. In these beautiful stories Aslan is the character who represents Jesus. As the children follow him further up and further in they find and experience beauty all along the way. I have come to love these words as they have become a description of what I want my life to be - one who follows Christ further up and further in. Unlike my desire to climb Mt. LeConte, which might not happen, I know that the LORD is faithful and he will lead me further up and further in - and along the way I will see and experience his beauty. He hears me and he will bring me near to him. In your own way will you join me as we go further up and further in? Prayer Lord of All Things Lead me further up and further into your love. Amen |
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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