Category : blog

 

As the Christmas Season approaches our thoughts turn to celebrating the birth of Christ and showing our love to those we cherish the most!  Of course the most cherished person in my life is my Heavenly Father!  I wonder what I would give Him if I had the chance to lay a present under His tree?  I doubt that any material thing would ever be adequate, after all, He made it all, owns it all and I’m sure His needs are not for physical things.

 

The more I pondered this idea, the more I turned to scripture to see what He had to say about what He wants the most from us.  He has given us free will and I know what He wants the most from us is a decision only we can make, He doesn’t demand it, He patiently waits for us to discover His desires for us.

 

I believe that the Holy Spirit has guided me to the scriptural evidence of what He desires most!

 

First I know He wants us to Love Him.

 

Mark 12: 29-30

29 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this; Listen, O’Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord, 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”

 

John 13: 34

34 “So now I am giving you a new commandment:
Love each other. Just I have loved you, you should love each other.”

 

Ephesians 3: 18

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.

 

2 John 1: 5

5 I am writing to remind you, dear fiends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning.

 

Next I believe He wants us to have complete FAITH in Him.

FAITH

Romans 5:1

1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

 

It is deep faith in Him that allows us to rest in the knowledge that He will always be with us, never forsake us and bring us through all trials to where He wants us to be.

 

Lastly, I know He desires us to be OBEDIENT to His word, His direction and His words He speaks to our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

 

OBEDIENCE

1 John 2: 5-6

5 But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love Him. The is how we know we are living in Him. 6 Those who say they love God should live their lives as Jesus did.

 

My dear brother and friend Dr. Charles Stanley has taught me often that God desires our Obedience rather than sacrifice.  We can only give Him our complete obedience when we Trust Him without doubts, knowing He is faithful to His word.

 

So these are the three things God wants from us, that only we can willingly give to Him;

 

Love   –   Faith   –   Obedience

 

My Christmas prayer, for all of us, is that we will give to God what He so richly deserves and desires this Christmas, our hearts, our undying Faith in Him and the courage to always say, “Yes Sir” when He asks anything of us.

 

Let me be the first to wish you a Blessed Christmas,

 

In Him

 

the pilgrim

 

I just returned from the Great Smokies, the third of three October workshops.  The color in the UP was spectacular, in Ohio’s Amish country just ok, and in the Great Smokies another great fall color year.  Thought I might share a few images from the last two workshops!  Above, Tremont branch of the Little River from the Tremont Wooden bridge!  Below, a shot from Greenbriar.

 

 

Morton’s Overlook was good color and great mist from the passing storms.

 

 

We stopped by the Primitive Baptist Church and I did a couple of window light portraits, always fun,  Top image, Peter and Mary Andrade, bottom Virgil Boler!

 

 

 

Yellow leaves reflecting on the road at Chimney Tops picnic area.  Red leaf on rocks along Greenbriar branch.

 

 

In the Amish Country of Northern Ohio we had acceptable color but lots of interesting subject matter, including a set of areial images from the drone at Hale Farm.

 

 

All the images above were with the iPhone 12 Pro Max!  Images below with the DJI Mini II drone.

 

So, that was the fall images plus the previous blog entry from the UP, Enpoy!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry for thelong delay on posting anything, but I just got back Monday from the UP, ten days out,  and I’m leviung again on Monday for northern Ohio and the Smokies!  I wanted to share some of the shots from our ten days up north!

 

Quick tech info, all images with the X-T4 and two lenses, the 16-80 and the 70-300 except one shot of the waterfall with the 10-24.  All of the close-up leaves are with the 70-300 a terrific macro capable lens!!!!  Hope you enjoy.

 

We had a great group and a great time, hope you enjoy it!!!!!!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim

 

 

I described in a previous blog entry what bodies and lenses and major things were in the bag, but I got an email asking if I would reveal what small items are packed away in various pockets and sleeves of the bag!

 

No problem, above is the larger items stowed away in varous cubby holes.  Top, left to right, the Tamrac rain cover for my Anvil 15 Slim photo backpack, a powerful LED light panel that can adjust for bightness and color balance, a iPhone tripod bracket that goes into the Arca Swiss head of my tripods, a Victornox Hunter Swiss Army knife, the PlataPod Max with strap for holding it on poles, fences and trees.  Bottom row, left to right an Apple iPad Mini for use with the DJI Mini II drone, A Hoodman shade for the iPad.

 

 

This is the smaller items stowed away through out the bag.  Top Row, left to right, Freewell filers for the drone, Kobalt mini screwdiver with micro size bits (Lowe’s ) a small flashlight, Gerber multi allen wrench, spare Drone connecting cord, Fujifilm small flash, below that, a rechargable LED flshlight that also glows red for night work, Sensor Swabs from Photo Solutions.

Botton Rows, left to right, two Think Tank Memory card holders, Anker multi USB C hub for iPad Pro, more powerful small flashlight, Eclipse Sensor cleaning soluiton, Blue tooth remote release for iPhone, Visine for strained eyes, Zeiss lens wipes, SOG small multi tool “the pint”, rubber jar opener, perfect for remvoing stuborn filters, Small Rig multi tool with all the allen wrenches for the Really Right Stuff tripods we both use, (gift from Jack Graham), business cards, special controllers for the drone to fly slow and steady for video and a spare body cap and rear lens cap.

 

I also have and did not get it into the photos above, a small rocket blower to blow off lens elements before cleaning them.

 

Do I use all these on every trip?  No!  But when I need them they are vital!

 

So, Sam P., there is the answer to your appreciated questions!!!

 

My best and blessings,

 

 

the pilgrim