This is probably my most favorite time of year. This is not to say that I do not enjoy the Springtime or the Summer, but it is the time of year when one typically sees the greatest deal of change. The change from Summer to Fall is usually the most sudden in contrast to the Springtime, and causes our patterns of behavior to adapt and change as well. It is that time of year where the tree's leaves start their dramatic shift to yellows, oranges, and crimson reds. All before dropping to the grass in a great big heap on the lawn. I have been watching the maple tree behind my house shift to this new stage. It has taken months, leading up to this, for the tree to begin its dramatic decent into dormancy. We too make the change by donning heavier coats and preparing for the breezy winds.
The tree came out of dormancy in the Spring by rapidly shooting out leaf buds in quick succession. Thus taking advantage of the changing light and continuous sunshine to build up it's depleted energy reserves. It needs to do this in order for the tree to survive the year and the harsh, cold winters. It is like the tree is packing on the pounds to prepare for the four months of winter (This is not to say that we should do the same). The tree's leaves use the Chlorophyll (color pigment) to synthesize the light during photosynthesis, and build up glucose (sugar) for storage. If the tree does not make enough sugar, the tree will shut down and die. But what causes the color change in the leaves you may ask? Well, it is the breakdown of Chlorophyll A that causes Chlorophyll B and C to show up as yellow, orange, and red. Chlorophyll A masks the other pigment colors and so you typically see only green during the Spring and Summer.
As we transition into a new season, whether it be spiritual, emotional, or physical, we need those preparation times to build us up for the road ahead. We need those times in our lives where we are confronted with disappointments, rejection, and discomfort. Not because we want it, but because it makes us better as a whole. I have learned some of my greatest lessons when I faced the greatest hardship. I have gotten the greatest good from a situation that should have knocked me down flat. Like the movie Rocky, when you are down for the count, that it when you get up and dust yourself off and get back into the ring. We need those moments to remind us of not only our humanness but of our humanity. I am grateful for the support of family and friends that lift me up when I'm flat. I praise God for the peace that they bring into my life. Your family and friends are like the sugar in your soul, which sustains and strengthens you when you need it the most.
The greatest thing about the changing of the seasons is that you don't have to do it alone. You don't have to be a trailblazer or a maverick. You already have someone in your life who has already made that difficult journey for you. It is your Lord and Savior who gave it all for you so that you could be free. Free from everything that holds you back, but still gives you everlasting grace that lifts you up. "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me (John 15:4)."
So lets fall into Fall, drop our leaves, and rejoice in the change that is coming. I'm ready. Are you?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Grand Canyon
I had run across this reflection the other day from the book Deepening Your Conversation with God, by Ben Patterson, and I thought that I would share it with you as well.
"One evening I was sitting on the edge of my favorite place on earth, the Grand Canyon, watching the sun go down. It's a magnificent sight; the changing of the light, the continual slow-motion movement of the shadows is like a visual fugue. One of my sons was with me, and we were rhapsodizing about the majesty, the glory of God manifest in that place, when I noticed his face outlined against the canyon and the sunset. My dear son, my beloved son, I thought. Then it struck me: "You know," I said to him, "there's something here that is even more glorious and godlike than this canyon." He looked at me with a frown of disbelief, and said, "What could that possibly be?" I grinned and said, "You.""
"More than even the Grand Canyon, he showed the glory of God, because it's not of canyons, but only of humans, that God says, "I made them in my image, like me.""
"So, of course, God is most glorified when those he made in his image become fully alive, all they were created to be. This can happen but only one way: through the vision of God. Paul says, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18). God is glorified as we come alive, his mirth roaring in our veins, as we awaken to the vision of God."
You are wonderfully and beautifully made in the loving hands of your Father. Go out today and continue to be that shining light of God's love in the world, and reflect out His love on all that you meet today.
"One evening I was sitting on the edge of my favorite place on earth, the Grand Canyon, watching the sun go down. It's a magnificent sight; the changing of the light, the continual slow-motion movement of the shadows is like a visual fugue. One of my sons was with me, and we were rhapsodizing about the majesty, the glory of God manifest in that place, when I noticed his face outlined against the canyon and the sunset. My dear son, my beloved son, I thought. Then it struck me: "You know," I said to him, "there's something here that is even more glorious and godlike than this canyon." He looked at me with a frown of disbelief, and said, "What could that possibly be?" I grinned and said, "You.""
"More than even the Grand Canyon, he showed the glory of God, because it's not of canyons, but only of humans, that God says, "I made them in my image, like me.""
"So, of course, God is most glorified when those he made in his image become fully alive, all they were created to be. This can happen but only one way: through the vision of God. Paul says, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18). God is glorified as we come alive, his mirth roaring in our veins, as we awaken to the vision of God."
You are wonderfully and beautifully made in the loving hands of your Father. Go out today and continue to be that shining light of God's love in the world, and reflect out His love on all that you meet today.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Iron Sharpening
Have you ever felt a little bit dull? Rough around the edges? In need of a little bit of some much needed care? I sometimes feel like I could go through some much needed refining in order to knock off some of the rough parts in my life. In Proverbs 27:17 (MSG), "You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another." We are called to be connected with one another. One working with the other during the refining process in order to build each-other up as believers. We are not meant to do it all on our own. Even Jesus couldn't do it on his own, and that's why he had his twelve disciples that could help him spread God's word.
In Joel Osteen's book, Become a Better You, he talks about bringing the best out of people. "I want to spend most of my "discretionary" time with people who will strive to bring the best out of me. The Scripture says, "iron sharpens iron." The way we live out our lives with one another should encourage one another to do better." He asks his readers to consider the following questions, "Are the people in my life better off or worse off because I passed their way? Am I building them up in conversations, and bringing out their best, or am I dragging them down? Do I believe in somebody? Do I give them the confidence to improve their lives? Or am I focused on myself?"
We should be choosing to bring out the best in everyone, from our family and friends, to our coworkers. We should be helping them and inspiring them to be and do their best, even if they don't personally know what their best actually is. Everyone wants to be encouraged and supported in what they are doing. I know a lot of people at church that are lifting my wife and myself up in prayer during this time in our lives, and encouraging us by speaking God's blessing on our lives. We have our prayer warriors out their speaking God's blessing on us and this is so encouraging. These prayers and words lift us up in our time of need. We then can go out in the world and speak God's love to others.
On Sunday, we had to run over to Walmart in Caldwell for a newspaper so that Kerstin could get some coupons. As we walk into Walmart and pass the greeter, and she was standing on her gray mat with her head down. We could have walked past her and said nothing, as some people do, but we chose to greet the greeter. We were friendly and spoke encouragement into her. She brightened up right way. Positive words had changed her whole attitude in an instant. This is what it means to me when I hear "iron sharpens iron." We are called to help one another to knock off the worn and rusty edges in order to lift them up during their time of need.
We are blessed by our many iron sharpeners in our family and our community. Thank you for helping us to keep shining God's light in the world. God Bless You.
"I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love." - Philemon 1:7
In Joel Osteen's book, Become a Better You, he talks about bringing the best out of people. "I want to spend most of my "discretionary" time with people who will strive to bring the best out of me. The Scripture says, "iron sharpens iron." The way we live out our lives with one another should encourage one another to do better." He asks his readers to consider the following questions, "Are the people in my life better off or worse off because I passed their way? Am I building them up in conversations, and bringing out their best, or am I dragging them down? Do I believe in somebody? Do I give them the confidence to improve their lives? Or am I focused on myself?"
We should be choosing to bring out the best in everyone, from our family and friends, to our coworkers. We should be helping them and inspiring them to be and do their best, even if they don't personally know what their best actually is. Everyone wants to be encouraged and supported in what they are doing. I know a lot of people at church that are lifting my wife and myself up in prayer during this time in our lives, and encouraging us by speaking God's blessing on our lives. We have our prayer warriors out their speaking God's blessing on us and this is so encouraging. These prayers and words lift us up in our time of need. We then can go out in the world and speak God's love to others.
On Sunday, we had to run over to Walmart in Caldwell for a newspaper so that Kerstin could get some coupons. As we walk into Walmart and pass the greeter, and she was standing on her gray mat with her head down. We could have walked past her and said nothing, as some people do, but we chose to greet the greeter. We were friendly and spoke encouragement into her. She brightened up right way. Positive words had changed her whole attitude in an instant. This is what it means to me when I hear "iron sharpens iron." We are called to help one another to knock off the worn and rusty edges in order to lift them up during their time of need.
We are blessed by our many iron sharpeners in our family and our community. Thank you for helping us to keep shining God's light in the world. God Bless You.
"I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love." - Philemon 1:7
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Lighting Tips
After posting my last blog on camera tips in the summer, and receiving all of the wonderful feedback on the post, I decided to give you a couple of tips on lighting. Lighting is key to composing your images. The way the light comes across your subjects face can give the impression of mood, emotion, and textured style (i.e. soft, smooth skin). If the light is coming directly from your camera, such as a flash, it can sometimes make the face appear flat or two dimensional. To counter act this affect, having some side lighting from a lamp or a window can add depth and dimension to your subjects face. This can be difficult to balance between the flash, which will fill in the shadows of the face, and the side lighting which can be multi-directional. So take a couple of shots from different points in the room, use you LCD preview screen to check your images, and check your cameras histogram levels to see that you have a good balance of lights and darks. If you are unsure how to use you cameras histogram, which measures Red, Green, and Blue light, you can check your camera manual for more detailed information. All point and shoot cameras should have an Info button to check your images and their histogram levels.
A note about kids and flashes. A flash is incredibly bright to a child's sensitive eyes. Whenever possible, try to avoid using the flash directly in front of a child's face. For a child it is like being flashed in the eyes by a Mag light and it can be very disorienting. If you have a situation where the room is very dark and you have to use the flash, there are a couple of things that you can do to mediate the light. Use your hand to partially cover the flash to diffuse some of the light. You may have to try this a couple of times because your hand may reflect a red glow on your images. By moving your hand up or down you can minimize this red glow. Try not to cast shadows on their faces in the process. Another thing that you could do to diffuse the light is to attach a small piece of white cloth or clear frosted tape (like scotch tape) in front of your flash. This will help to soften the light on their face. There are also more sophisticated diffusers on the market that you can purchase, but this seems to work in a pinch.
When it comes to the power of your flash, please keep in mind that your flash will only be effective if you keep the optimal distance from your subject. Such as shooting from the back of the room during a children's play. This will vary from camera to camera, and you should check your manual to see what distance your flash works best at. If you have a flash that you can adjust then by all means adjust it to meet your specific needs, but keep in mind that a large flash uses a lot of batteries and you may have to change them more frequently. So keep a fresh pair of batteries handy.
When it comes to digital images from your cell phone, Blackberry, iPhone, and so forth. There is no flash typically on these phones, so you need to use more of the available light. There are settings on the phones to increase the amount of light, but this can make your image look very grainy. Also, keep your lenses clean, so that you don't get images that look like they went through the dryer. Since we typically put our phones in our pockets, or like my wife, in her purse where it collects lint and dust. You can take a Q-tip or soft, non-abrasive cloth, and clean your lens. Lens paper typically works the best for cleaning the lens. Avoid using alcohol based products on your lenses.
I hope that some of these tips are useful to you and you get some great shots this summer.
A note about kids and flashes. A flash is incredibly bright to a child's sensitive eyes. Whenever possible, try to avoid using the flash directly in front of a child's face. For a child it is like being flashed in the eyes by a Mag light and it can be very disorienting. If you have a situation where the room is very dark and you have to use the flash, there are a couple of things that you can do to mediate the light. Use your hand to partially cover the flash to diffuse some of the light. You may have to try this a couple of times because your hand may reflect a red glow on your images. By moving your hand up or down you can minimize this red glow. Try not to cast shadows on their faces in the process. Another thing that you could do to diffuse the light is to attach a small piece of white cloth or clear frosted tape (like scotch tape) in front of your flash. This will help to soften the light on their face. There are also more sophisticated diffusers on the market that you can purchase, but this seems to work in a pinch.
When it comes to the power of your flash, please keep in mind that your flash will only be effective if you keep the optimal distance from your subject. Such as shooting from the back of the room during a children's play. This will vary from camera to camera, and you should check your manual to see what distance your flash works best at. If you have a flash that you can adjust then by all means adjust it to meet your specific needs, but keep in mind that a large flash uses a lot of batteries and you may have to change them more frequently. So keep a fresh pair of batteries handy.
When it comes to digital images from your cell phone, Blackberry, iPhone, and so forth. There is no flash typically on these phones, so you need to use more of the available light. There are settings on the phones to increase the amount of light, but this can make your image look very grainy. Also, keep your lenses clean, so that you don't get images that look like they went through the dryer. Since we typically put our phones in our pockets, or like my wife, in her purse where it collects lint and dust. You can take a Q-tip or soft, non-abrasive cloth, and clean your lens. Lens paper typically works the best for cleaning the lens. Avoid using alcohol based products on your lenses.
I hope that some of these tips are useful to you and you get some great shots this summer.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Summer Experiences
This is the time of year where the kids are out in the blistering summer sun for hours on end. It is a great time to capture them in their moments of greatest excitement. You bust out the point and shoot camera (or digital SLR) and start snapping some shots of your precious tike's. Your in the moment, they are making goofy faces, and you can't wait to share your day with your Facebook friends. When you get home and look at your photos are you happy with what has developed? Or do you think to yourself. . . "I'm not sharing these with anyone!" Here's a couple of tips to help you get some shots that you do want to share, and to get some images of your kids that will really stand out in your collection.
1. Become a kid again. You would be amazed at the difference that it makes when you get down on your knees or stomach and shoot from a child's perspective. By changing the angle of perception with your camera ,you add depth and character to your images. The kids will play and act around you, adding even more fun to your images, and you become apart of the fun of the day. How many times have you stood back and taken photos of your kids from your height and from far away? You probably couldn't see their faces and it looks like God took the photo from high above. You could try mixing it up a little bit by shooting from inside the playground equipment, or sit on the swing beside them to get a different angle. Give it a shot the next time that you are out.
2. Shooting in Sunlight. The middle of the day can be the most difficult time to compose a shot because this is when the lighting is at it's maximum levels. This may seem counter intuitive, but this is when contrast is at its greatest, shadows become lost, color levels are really low, and the depth of your photos can look very flat. To solve this problem there is a couple of things that you can do. Whenever possible, try to photograph your kids in the shade so that you get a better overall tone to your pictures. If your camera has an ISO setting, move it down to it's lowest setting of 100, this will reduce the amount of light coming into your camera. You could also use your hand to shade your lens, thus reducing the light, while still being in the sun. If you use a camera that has aperture settings, increase the aperture setting to reduce the amount of light coming into the camera.
3. Shoot Fast. If your images are coming out blurry or not in focus, you may have a problem with your shutter speed. The shutter speed is the speed at which your camera's shutter moves to expose your cameras digital sensor. By increasing the shutter speed you can capture the action as it develops, at a faster rate, and your will get better images at the same time. The faster shutter speed will also reduce blurring from camera shake. If you increase your shutter speed, you must increase your ISO setting to let in more available light, and you must lower your aperture setting as a result. This way you get more light coming into the camera as a trade off for a faster shutter speed.
4. Have Fun. This is your summer as well. Go out and enjoy the sunshine. Bring back some memories that show how much fun you had this summer.
Let me know if any of these tips were beneficial for you and share what you did with your camera.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Baby Day
This Sunday at Bethel Church of the Nazarene is Baby Day. This will highlight some of the newest followers of Christ in our church community. Although they have not truely accepted Christ in their hearts (yet), they still come to learn and hear the words from the Bible. They are active paricipants in the church and are shown unconditional love, as Christ did for us. Come and celebrate the wonderous blessings that they are and share in the joy that they bring into all of our hearts.
I ran across an older article about leading children to Christ by Cindy Baston (copyright 1998). I always wondered about this subject and she give some interesting insight. Enjoy.
Leading Children to Christ by Cindy Batson
How do we know when a child is ready to receive Christ? Are there signs? Should parents bring up the subject, or do we wait for the Holy Spirit to speak to a child's heart? These are some of the questions a parent asks.
Our daughter Courtney accepted Christ as she was approaching her seventh birthday. Let me share what led up to her decision. Courtney comes from a Christian home; her father is a pastor. From the time she was an infant, she attended Sunday school, church services, Vacation Bible School, and many other church activities. She listened as we read Bible stories, helped her to memorize Scripture verses. She was exposed to Christian records, musicals, movies, and plays. For her to believe that Jesus died for her and to ask Him to be her Savior was a natural step.
One day Courtney began to ask probing questions. She asked, "Will everyone be saved when Christ comes again? What is the meaning of baptism?" I answered her questions one by one, and shared the simple gospel message with her. I could see that the Lord was speaking to her. I wondered if she could really understand these things. Quietly I prayed that the Lord would continue to speak to her.
Within a few days Courtney attended a special service in our church. As we entered the building Courtney said, "Mommy, I'm ready to ask Jesus to be my Savior, because Jesus is coming soon, and I want to be ready!" Her eyes were bright with excitement. She had a big smile on her face. The service was about to begin, so I told Courtney that if the guest evangelist gave an invitation, she could go to the altar to accept Jesus as her Savior. Courtney sat very still and listened as the speaker preached on being ready for the return of Christ. When an invitation was given, Courtney raced down the aisle to the altar. She was the only one to respond that night. Willie and I prayed with her at the altar. That night Courtney eagerly asked Jesus to enter her life.
You may wonder, "Can a young child understand the meaning of salvation?" Here is where we are misled. We think that a child must "understand" rather than "believe" the message of salvation. Where does it say in the Bible that we must "understand" in order to be saved? It does say, however, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Salvation is God's gift to us, isn't it? Have you ever noticed how quickly a child will accept a gift? He happily reaches out and accepts it, without wondering what he needs to do to earn it.
Parents should be ready to present the gospel and not be afraid to repeat the message often. Remember to pray for your children. Ask the Holy Spirit to prepare their hearts, just as adult hearts are prepared. Children should never be forced into accepting Christ; on the other hand, when a child is ready, we should not reject their decision by saying, "You're too young," or "You don't understand everything."
After a child becomes a Christian, remember that he needs to be discipled. It is important to praise the child for his decision, and rejoice with him. Encourage him to tell others of his conversion experience. When Courtney accepted Christ, she called her grandmother the next morning to give her the great news.
Children can be led to Christ. God made the message simple so that even a child could hear and respond. Take every opportunity to present this wonderful message to your children while their hearts are eagerly open.
(Cindy Batson is a wife, mom, and teacher. She is married to Willie Batson, who is Director of Family Builders Ministries.)
2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
I ran across an older article about leading children to Christ by Cindy Baston (copyright 1998). I always wondered about this subject and she give some interesting insight. Enjoy.
Leading Children to Christ by Cindy Batson
How do we know when a child is ready to receive Christ? Are there signs? Should parents bring up the subject, or do we wait for the Holy Spirit to speak to a child's heart? These are some of the questions a parent asks.
Our daughter Courtney accepted Christ as she was approaching her seventh birthday. Let me share what led up to her decision. Courtney comes from a Christian home; her father is a pastor. From the time she was an infant, she attended Sunday school, church services, Vacation Bible School, and many other church activities. She listened as we read Bible stories, helped her to memorize Scripture verses. She was exposed to Christian records, musicals, movies, and plays. For her to believe that Jesus died for her and to ask Him to be her Savior was a natural step.
One day Courtney began to ask probing questions. She asked, "Will everyone be saved when Christ comes again? What is the meaning of baptism?" I answered her questions one by one, and shared the simple gospel message with her. I could see that the Lord was speaking to her. I wondered if she could really understand these things. Quietly I prayed that the Lord would continue to speak to her.
Within a few days Courtney attended a special service in our church. As we entered the building Courtney said, "Mommy, I'm ready to ask Jesus to be my Savior, because Jesus is coming soon, and I want to be ready!" Her eyes were bright with excitement. She had a big smile on her face. The service was about to begin, so I told Courtney that if the guest evangelist gave an invitation, she could go to the altar to accept Jesus as her Savior. Courtney sat very still and listened as the speaker preached on being ready for the return of Christ. When an invitation was given, Courtney raced down the aisle to the altar. She was the only one to respond that night. Willie and I prayed with her at the altar. That night Courtney eagerly asked Jesus to enter her life.
You may wonder, "Can a young child understand the meaning of salvation?" Here is where we are misled. We think that a child must "understand" rather than "believe" the message of salvation. Where does it say in the Bible that we must "understand" in order to be saved? It does say, however, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." Salvation is God's gift to us, isn't it? Have you ever noticed how quickly a child will accept a gift? He happily reaches out and accepts it, without wondering what he needs to do to earn it.
Parents should be ready to present the gospel and not be afraid to repeat the message often. Remember to pray for your children. Ask the Holy Spirit to prepare their hearts, just as adult hearts are prepared. Children should never be forced into accepting Christ; on the other hand, when a child is ready, we should not reject their decision by saying, "You're too young," or "You don't understand everything."
After a child becomes a Christian, remember that he needs to be discipled. It is important to praise the child for his decision, and rejoice with him. Encourage him to tell others of his conversion experience. When Courtney accepted Christ, she called her grandmother the next morning to give her the great news.
Children can be led to Christ. God made the message simple so that even a child could hear and respond. Take every opportunity to present this wonderful message to your children while their hearts are eagerly open.
(Cindy Batson is a wife, mom, and teacher. She is married to Willie Batson, who is Director of Family Builders Ministries.)
2 Corinthians 5:17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Stumbling
This past weekend I went on the Bethel Men's Retreat to Horsethief Reservoir, which is up by Cascade, ID, and had a great time relaxing with the guys. It was a great time to sit around the campfire, eat a lot of food, fish on the lake, and get to know the other guys at church. I realized that I am not alone in this process. There are other guys in the church, whom I have never talked to, that are going through some of the same problems that I am going through. At the same time, as men, we are not expressing our feelings but conversing with a common jocularity. There is the overwhelming sarcasm and lack of seriousness to each statement, and then it is back to talking about hunting, fishing, and killing. That's the way it is with guys, we sometimes just can't get serious with each other. We put up our walls in order to protect ourselves from being hurt or exposed. We somehow want to feel like we are invincible to the worlds problems. God would tell us otherwise. We need to lay it all out there at the foot of the cross and come to him.
This weekend felt like it came crashing down upon itself when I got back to Nampa. I had been praying about a position at a charter school for weeks. I had prayerfully considered a position teaching Life science and Biology at this charter school, and had applied to the position with the confidence that God was leading me in the right direction. I had conversations with the Director of Operations and got my application in as soon as possible (since they needed to fill the position). He was very encouraging and supportive of my prospects for the teaching position and said that I would be a good fit for the charter school. And that was the last that I had heard from him on the matter. I had received no news for two weeks. I was then told, informally, that the position had been filled by another person. I was dumbfounded. I began to question whether I had prayed about it enough and whether I was cut out for teaching. I had let the enemy in and work on my heart. I had started to think and say things that I would later regret.
When I get up in the middle of the night, I have to faintly search for any glimmer of light to find my way. I go stumbling through the dark to find my way and search for the light. Any light, no matter how dim can guide me on my path in the darkness. In this season of darkness there is a light that continues to shine on my path, leading me forward, and directing me in the right direction. The light is leading me away from the charter school (although it may lead me back) at this time, but I trust that God will continue to direct me in this journey. I am prepared for any trip that He is taking me on. May God continue to lead and direct your path this week.
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