A Great Gift………..

                                                                                                                                                                                           Photograph by Raymond Jabola

I know that God loves us, He gave us the greatest gift of all when He allowed His Son Jesus to die for us.  That was the ultimate sacrifice any father ever made!  He also shows His love for us everyday in thousands of ways, for me it has been friends.  Now before I start I have been blessed with a number of very dear friends, but this morning I want to talk about just three.

A few years ago I was teaching a photography class for my church, and evening adult program so to speak.  A man I did not know came up to me and asked if I would look at some of his images.  I took a few moments to look through some prints, my jaw dropped.  It was amazing work!  I asked the man who he was and he told me he was Jim Begley and he lived in my own community.  I had never met him, not surprising when you think I’m gone from Corbin over 200 days a year.  I spent some of the rest of the evening talking with him because he was obviously a very good HDR photographer and I wanted to learn more about that technique myself.  Over the last several years we have become the best of friends.  Jim is a wonderful photographer, quite gifted, but he is an even more impressive man!  A dedicated husband and father, and a deeply committed Christian.  I asked Jim to be my partner in developing the His Light Workshops and we have enjoyed a lot of great time together teaching and shooting in the field.  Thank you Father for a great friend.

Once Jim and I started running the His Light Workshops we met a man named Jim Haverstock and his wife Sue.  Jim is the kind of guy that immediately draws you to himself. self effacing, humble to the core, but a very good photographer.  More importantly to Jim and I is that Jim (H) has become a prayer warrior and dedicated brother and friend of our  little Workshop Series.  Jim was the kind of man I wanted to sit on our advisory board to help keep us aimed in the right direction.  Jim and Sue are a joy to be around and I treasure the moments we have stood side by side and enjoyed God’s incredible creation and attempted to capture it!  Jim brings a wealth of life experience and wisdom to our board and he is a great joy to me!   Again, thank you Father for another great friend!

Last, but not least, at the event out in Page I met another friend who captured my heart, Raymond Jabola.  Raymond is doctor from California, but you would never know he was a doctor unless you asked him what he did.  Raymond is humble to a fault, he really doesn’t know just how talented he really is.  He has not been a photographer very long, but his skill level has grown exponentially since I met him and he was pretty talented then!  As much as I love looking at his images, by-the-way, the lead image today is one of his,  what I love most about Raymond is his tender heart.  I’m not sure I’ve ever met any man that is more open to the blessings of this life, he feels them deeply and is not ashamed or afraid to show his joy in the midst of everyday wonders.  I’ve always believed that that one quality is what produces the best photographers, and the strongest men.  I know Raymond is good father, I got that right from the source, his daughter!  I also know he has been a good friend to  me.  When ever I see that Raymond is joining,  my heart leaps for joy!  For the third time, thank you Father!

In a few days I will turn 66 years of age and I can tell you that with all the treasures I’ve been blessed with, these friends, my family, and many others I have come to love so much, are my most prized gifts from Him.  I am a very wealthy man indeed!

Spend a few minutes today thinking about who God has blessed your life with!!

the pilgrim