Christianity – LLOYD'S LENS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

Life Begins Anew

As the new light fills my landscape the waking forest begins to send out new life. For the first year ever my volunteer apple tree has produced bloom on every branch. The sweet blossoms are absolutely alive with bumblebees. These little wonders are seeing the world for the first time. Most queen bumblebees nest underground in winter in a borrowed hole. It’s in that dark underground place where they lay and tend the new life that is to emerge in Spring. When the brood hatches they collect pollen and nectar to bring back to hive.

With this being Easter weekend the symbolism isn’t lost on me. Jesus also borrowed a hole in the ground where he brought forth new life. I’ve often contemplated that the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter morning had to be the darkest day in history. To the natural world there had been a darkness that fell across the land and an earthquake that destroyed the temple. The believers had seen the Messiah slain and sealed in a tomb. But much like the new light of Spring and the new life emerging from the ground Christ arose and with him a new world for mankind. Not a word ran by the law of man but by the Grace of God and merciful judgment. And just like the new brood of bumblebees we are new eyes exploring a new world.

Happy Easter friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement 2.0

For those who have been following me on Facebook and know of the struggle content providers have to get circulation from big tech I’ve been recommending for people to adopt MeWe as a social media platform. One of the problems I’ve run into on MeWe is that people don’t know how to navigate the platform. So to help with that I’ve created a permanent page on my website as a basic Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe I’ve tried to anticipate all basic questions there and You can bookmark the page to have as a reference and if you have any questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to contact me. I do still have a day job and I help admin several pages on both platforms so replies might be a little slow but I will answer you.

We also have the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe that is set up as a fully functional community. There you’ll not only be able to see and connect with me but you can also make your own posts and interact with each other.

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Click the link below to jump to the Basic Beginner’s Guide To MeWe.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/guide-to-mewe/

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Lloyds Lens Photography web link — Click here to visithttps://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simply use the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Clicking on the photo takes you tohttps://www.zazzle.com/lloydslensphotos?rf=238248269630914251

Lastly, all of the photos and writings are my original work unless otherwise specified and are not to be copied or reproduced without expressed written permission from the photographer

Thank you again for your support of my page!❤

On Peace, Fear And Faith

Color Photography, encouragement, Thoughts and Musing

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “The Fruits Of Winter 11221” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The January sun is bright but cold above the little mountain delta on Muddlety Creek. It’s on days like this that I enjoy the heater in my big blue truck and aim my lens through an open window. As I drift over the narrow single lane my mind mulls over the question “What is peace?” At the moment I feel peaceful with a podcast playing in the background as I take in the tranquility of still waters and gently swaying reeds. But is this peace or simply “peaceful” as in like peace.

I don’t claim to have any profound knowledge or divine insight as to the nature of peace. Only a few things that I believe are true as I search for answers.

Peace is not the absence of violence. It is the absence of fear.

I’ve had too many people who have been thrust into violent situations that say they felt stress and were aware of the gravity of the situation but that also felt that wave of peace come over them and they knew that everything would be okay in the end. Some would say that they were brave and that’s true to a point but..

Bravery is not the absence of fear. It is absence of inaction. If we review the stories of people in dangerous situations we find that they were frightened beyond description and yet calmly handed the actions they needed to take. On a side note, most of these people were not completely confident that they were making the right choices. They just did what they thought would help. Was it their peace that gave them the opportunity to act and hope for the best? I’m sure it played a role but fear was also present.

So perhaps things like peace and fear are not a dichotomy. Like light and darkness we are given a measure of each and it only matters where we focus as to what we experience. Which leads to thought that if fear grows as often described can peace also grow within the spirit of a person? I’ve been told that whatever you feed grows. If we focus on fear then it becomes stronger and eventually transforms into panic. And if panic is the ultimate fear and bravery is action in the presence of fear then it’s likely that action will be in error. However, if we focus on our peace and feed that instead we get clarity of thought and logic. Our actions will then be those that most likely will improve the outcome.

I believe that ultimately our peace comes from the Prince of Peace himself. Namely, The Lord Jesus Christ. It would be easy to point out the uncertainty of the times we live in but the truth is that uncertainty has always been present. For my generation it was the Cold War and the threat of Nuclear Weapons. For the WW2 and WW1 generation it was global combat and starvation during the Great Depression. There has always been a reason to fear. But the same God who brought mankind through all of that can also see us through the current age. So let me encourage you to choose the light and focus on the peace. If you do then it’s more likely your actions will be well taken and you will make it through to the other side.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Announcement:

I am adding additional social media to my network. Eventually, I’ll be leaving Facebook behind for a multitude of reasons. Even though the Lloyd’s Lens Photography page is strictly non-political I have been restricted from interacting with followers with no explanation for why. But it’s not just that. For years now Facebook has throttled content providers in general. They encourage us to grow our audience and then want to sell us back the access to them. In addition, they collect and sell the data from our interaction. So Facebook has become an entanglement of thorns. In response I have created the Lloyd’s Lens Photography Discussion Group on MeWe. We can still interact directly on the blog but starting today I’ll be looking for more platforms that respect the privacy of my followers and don’t limit who gets to see the post.

I want you to join my group on MeWe: https://mewe.com/join/lloydslensphotographydiscussiongroup

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Thoughts On Individualism for 2021

Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Be Yourself 122920a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

The other trees in the forest stood by with an indignant expression. “What does she think she’s proving? How long will she keep up this silliness?” They murmured among themselves. The oaks were worst. They even demanded to her face that she should straighten up. But Joy didn’t care what the rest of the forest thought. She was just going to continue to be herself.

There’s always that one person in the group who is the life of the party. It’s not really the person who zigs when everyone else zags but the person who starts the zig zags in the first place. These blessed souls are more often than not the most intelligent people among us. They the individualists. The ones who question the world and ask why normal is normal. They take risks and cause the rest of to push the envelope a little.

When I saw the tree with the curly queue I said to myself, “There’s a nonconformist if I ever saw one. I imagine that to get such a strong bend in the trunk of the tree that at one point someone tied a knot in the top when it was young and limber enough to be shaped. As the tree grows it straightens out enough to reach for the heavens but will always bear the mark of it’s history. People are like that too. We all carry a little of our experience throughout our lifetime. It’s what makes us unique. In some ways, it’s the bend that stands out. An injury was purposefully given to this tree. In a field of tall straight boles it’s been stunted and misshapen. For most woodworking it’s now completely useless. But what makes this tree an awesome nonconformist is the fact that it didn’t give up. It untangled itself the best it could and kept going!

In life we have people who will do their best to shape us into their version of what they want us to be. Often this is based on first impressions or what kind of word they want. Unless it’s really what you are in your heart do not conform to the mold they build around you. Free yourself as best as you can and continue to reach for the heavens. Those who are not strong enough to break their own molds might even judge you but don’t give in. Simply look on them with kindness and empathy and understand that in most cases they are only expressing their frustration at themselves. Just keep growing into the individual you were meant to be.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Image Titled “Be Yourself 122920b” showing a closer look at the curly queue.

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

I’m now using Zazzle to fulfil orders. What this means for you is a secure way to place an order, discount codes & a broader product selection! Simplymessage me on Facebookoruse the contact form on my websiteand tell me which image you want and I’ll reply with a direct link to where you can place the order.

Christmas Thoughts 2020

Christmas, Color Photography

Hello Friends! Tonight’s Feature Image is titled “Holly 102020a” and is available for purchase by clicking the thumbnail and reaching out to me on the contact page.

Soft purple light filters through the blinds as the alarm signals me that I can hit the snooze button just one more time. A quick glance out of the window reveals a blanket of fresh snow. My dog senses my movements and cuddles closer to encourage me to stay in bed just a little while longer. It’s my last day of vacation and so I obliged him. As I lay in bed listening to the birds greet the morning I began to think about the excitement of Christmas morning and how my thoughts have changed. As I child the excitement of Christmas was centered on the potential for new toys. Later in life when my wife and I were setting up housekeeping and getting established Christmas was the opportunity to obtain things that we needed to build a life together. But as I’ve matured I have very little the basics and very little desire for “toys”. But what I do desire is time with loved ones. Beyond the hugs and the face to face conversations that many people have put aside this year is the feeling of belonging. It’s the knowledge that you occupied a place in someone’s heart even if you couldn’t be in their home. Now I have to be honest. My families did gather as we normally do. Though some of us chose to abstain for reasons of safety they were no less in our hearts. Some joined in via phone calls while others were simply there in spirit but the important part was that love was shared. Regardless of how we gathered or who was there we kept in mind that the reason we came together was in celebration of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has given us his word that where two or more gather in his name he would be there also. He affirms that the most important part of life is to occupy a place in someone’s heart. And that’s the true gift of Christmas. For we too receive that same gift in return. We occupy a special place in God’s heart. Everything else is just a token.

Good night friends and be blessed throughout your days.

Hey Friends! Just a quick reminder that Lloyds Lens Photography is available for portraits!

To book me simply reach out using the Contact Page and we’ll set a date. If you’re within a 50 mile radius of Summersville West Virginia all travel fees are waived.

If you would like to Follow me on Facebook the web address is

https://www.facebook.com/aviewfromthelens/

If you’re enjoying my blog and don’t want to miss a post then you can sign up for email alerts on my website.

https://lloydslensphotographyllc.com/

Have you checked out the Zazzle Store?

Resurrection Day 2019

Color Photography

Yesterday was Good Friday. The day that Jesus Christ was hung up on the cross. As a Christian I believe that Jesus was God in the flesh. That the King of the universe created himself a bodily vehicle and lived, walked, taught and healed among mortal man. He was simultaneously both fully God and Fully man. And I believe that the disciples who followed him were at least partly aware of this. He was the messiah. The God/Man who had come to fix everything. But on Good Friday, God laid down his life and died. Notice that I didn’t say that he was slain. And mortal man who endured crucifixion would have been but being immortal Christ could not have been killed no matter how brutal he was treated. Then he cried out that God had forsaken him.

Digital art by Lloyd’s Lens Photography.

The flesh couldn’t die until the Spirit of God removed himself. And darkness covered the earth. And they buried the messiah. The bible tells us a lot about what happened on Good Friday. And the “Good News” of His resurrection is well documented. But on day two, the universe wept. Hope was gone. Peter went as far as to deny ever having met Jesus Christ on three different occasions. Day Two had to be the darkest day in human history. I have been saving tonight’s feature image just for this post because of the dark feeling invoked by the clouds and the rain on the sunroof of my wife’s car. (A technique that I use often) I think that it captures the feeling that his followers would have had on day two. The Bible says that during this day of darkness that Jesus was in Hell. That during our time of darkness he went to the prisoners in Hell and released those who died before His sacrifice was made. Itp wouldn’t be fair on the day of judgment to have not provided the opportunity of repentance to every soul that had ever lived. (Reference 1st Peter 3:18 – 20)

But his followers could not have known this. Day two had to be a day of doubts.

It’s a reminder to me that just because the darkness surrounds me and just because I don’t actually see what God is doing in my life doesn’t mean that nothing is happening.

Then, on the morning of day three the clouds rolled back and light returned to the earth. The two Marys had been to his grave and were the first to be told that hope was not lost. In fact, hope was just beginning and it was going to get even better.

It’s typical for us as Christians adapt the cross as the symbol of the sacrifice that cleansed us from our sins. But it’s the empty grave that ensures our own Resurrection.

Just a quick note before I close. There won’t be post for Resurrection Sunday. I’m taking the day off and the next post will be on Monday night. I’m also forgoing the normal marketing pitch at the end since tonight’s post is more of a testimony dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Good night and be blessed.