Tag: Christianity

Sacrifice

Church, Color Photography

And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. – Mark 15:25

Easter. Where do I start? Forget bunnies and ancient origins of modern Easter eggs. As a child I didn’t care about what shape the chocolate was. And that’s really all I cared for was the candy and the toys. I grew up in a Baptist church. The preacher and Sunday School teachers reinforced my parents teachings of the Passion of Christ. But the impact of the story really didn’t effect me until later in life. It wasn’t until I realized that I was in eternal debt that I began to appreciate the Sacrifice of Christ. I had to develop pride before I could understand the humility of the creator who would turn himself into a human being and suffer mortality. I had to learn what it means to be in debt before I could understand what it means to be free.

My Lord Jesus Christ was beaten beyond recognition and executed for a crime that he didn’t commit but that I was guilty of. The healing hands were pierced for my thievery. The life that flowed through his veins was spilled out so that I could live. His gift was for all of humanity and available to all who believe. What we have come to call Easter is to a Christian a time of remembrance to contemplate our faith. It’s a time of fellowship and brotherhood among believers. Long after the chocolate has been eaten, long after the last colorful egg has been removed from behind the couch cushion and the last of the fake grass has been swept away the real gift of the holiday remains deep within our hearts. It is the gift of the Sacrifice that brought salvation.

A Moment Of Grace

Color Photography

I’ve been working on a side project that has me a little down. I’m not ready to reveal the nature of the project. Only that its been hard on me emotionally. But I do think it will worth it. When dark times come just have faith that God is still operating. His grace is shining down on your life even if you don’t really know it. The storm will break. The clouds will part eventually. And, light will return to the world.

A Promise

Color Photography, West Virginia

Every storm should end with a rainbow. The Bible says that God gave us the rainbow as a sign that he would never flood the entire world again. When times get dark and stressful we should look for the promise that things are not going to be tough forever. The storms will eventually pass.

The Summerville Lighthouse

black and white photography, West Virginia

As I sat down to write to write tonight’s post the wind is howling on the ridge above my home. I can hear the wind chimes ring loudly in the front porch. There’s a storm on the way. That’s the reason why I chose the picture of our local lighthouse. Lighthouses are the iconic representation of hope in the storm. I can’t look at a lighthouse without having a sense of peace and security. (That’s why I incorporated a lighthouse in my business logo.) Finding peace during a storm one of life’s necessities. It helps to have a lighthouse to provide a fixed point to focus on. Metaphorically speaking, we know that there will multiple storms in our lives. We will need that beacon of hope to focus on and guide us through the fog and blinding rain. For me, Christ is my lighthouse. That doesn’t mean that there’s never a storm. But it does mean that I have a fixed point to focus on and find that peace again.

Holding The Light

Color Photography, Thoughts and Musing

Would you believe that I built a spacecraft in my backyard and left the Earth to get this image? No? Of course not. What you see here is a happy accident. I like to take pictures of rain on my windshield. Last night I climbed into my truck and the water droplets were just right. I pulled out my phone and snapped the shutter. But, I had forgotten to turn off the flash. Each little droplet managed to catch the flash resulting in a photo of a sun surrounded by stars. (After some manipulation 😉)

The light of God shines out from his throne in heaven. When we catch his light and hold it we stand out from the darkness. We become a reflection of Him.