Category : Pilgrim’s Chronicles

 

Sorry for the delay on this blog entry it should have been catch-up Monday, but Monday got filled to the brim on me, and this is my first chance to sit down at the computer!  I’ll make it worth your while though!  Today I have several really important things to share with you, so let’s get started!!

 

When you are finished here, please go over to the Blog – His Light Workshops, which has been compleltey redone with tons of new information.  Exciting stuff you will want to check out!

 

Now for today, I had a pro call in Knoxville yesterday, and since I worked all weekend, Sherelene went along and she Christmas shopped while I called on my customer, then I joined her and we shopped some more  Well I didn’t so much as shop as  just keep her company, but I did see some interesting things to photograph.  Our first stop was lunch at P.F. Changs, and I was struggling tying to find something shoot, until I looked up at the ceiling!

 

 

 

Next stop was a Talbot’s,  one of her favorite clothing stores.  What on earth could you find to shoot int as Talbot’s??  This is a real opportunity to see just how observant you are and how good your extraction skills are.  I am really into color and patters so let me show you some of my “finds”….

 

 

 

Below, I saw some leather gloves and the more I looked, and  the closer I looked, I knew there was a close-up. texture shot!  Here is the before and after!

 

 

 

 

O.K. the shot at the very top was in a bowl in Talbot’s!   And one last shot, one of my favorite things!!   When the lights on at Krispy Kreme!!!

 

 

What a great God, to let us do what we love an actually get paid for it!!!!!!!

 

the pilgrim

 

* Photo Note:  Yes shot with one of my many favorite Compact cameras!

 

                                                                                                                                                                                             Image by Phyllis Burchett

 

 

I love the shot above and I sure wish I had made it!  But then Phyllis Burchett is such a wonderful photographer, I’m thrilled to display her work on this blog.  I just love this image, it has such a wonderful feel to it, and honestly, that’s how I’m feeling this afternoon.  I just finished the last major event of 2011, and the  rest of 2011 will be spent doing pro calls and finishing up the years office work.  I always feel this euphoria when I know I can take a deep breath and spend more time with the family  during last few weeks of the year!  Of course the more restful time won’t last, I start back a full speed on January 2nd heading to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl and the BCS Championship game and then Imaging USA one of my favorite photo shows of the year.  So let me wind up this event and stay in Atlanta with some of the things I’m most thankful for!  Before I start,  let me revisit a quote I’ve used before, and promise I will keep using:  A man, (or woman), can have a wonderful life if they have three things;  Someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to!  Now my end of the year list to prove that:

 

1.  My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!!  My life would be nothing without His love, compassion, forgiveness, fellowship, and strength.  The other day when I shared the Christmas song, Where’s the Line to See Jesus, I sat in my office and watched it for the fourth time, and with tears in my eyes raised my hands to the heavens and cried as I thanked Him and told Him how much I love Him!

 

2. Tomorrow I go home to the love of my life, Sherelene.  Every time I get ready to pack and head home I’m filled with excitement to know Sherelene will be there!  I can’t imagine life without her.   I don’t want to sound corny, but in the movie Jerry McGuire , when Tom Cruise said, “You complete me!”  He was speaking directly from my heart to Sherelene.  This woman has been long suffering to be married to me, but she has remained a faithful and wonderful wife, mother, and now our grandchildren’s loved “Nana”!   Sherelene is my best friend, and one of the few people I can count on to tell me the truth!  Cuddling on the couch in front of a roaring fire will be one of my most cherished activities to end this year!

 

3.  A family that is so much more than I deserve!  Scott, Diane, Wes, Rhonda, Catherine & Clint are children I’m so proud of, and Hannah, Ben, Cassidy and Cade and Elijah and Abigail are all so precious to me.  I am so looking forward to Christmas with all of them!  I’ve won a number of awards and have had several best selling books, but honestly none of that is as thrilling as having one of grandchildren hug me and say, ” I love you Papa!”

 

4.  A great group of incredible friends!  To start to name people here is dangerous, because God has blessed me so mightily   I must say that Chuck Summers, Rob Sheppard, Jim Begley, Carl Rollins, Carl Turner, Richard Small, and Jim Haverstock, Chuck Barnes and Snake Barrett have all provided endless great experiences for me.  Add to that, all our new photography friends like Raymond Jabola, Larry Williams, Chuck Daffin, Susan Scharenberg, hey the list just goes on and on!  Then there is Ricky Skaggs & Scott Kelby, what  powerful brothers, and friends they have become!  Of course I work with the best team of photography professionals and friends you could ever imagine in NPS, and Bill Pekala and Scott Diussa are the best bosses and friends.  I an mot going to go on because I surely will hurt someone, but God has done all of this for me, a lowly servant!  How very truly blessed I am!   Photography gets more exciting for me, every single day, and with the friends I have, I am challenged everyday to get better or be left in the dust!  My father once told me if you ever want to be great at anything, be friends with those that do it better, and he was right!

 

5.  Something important to do!   I am so thankful to have the honor of serving Him, and sharing all about His love with others.  The Pilgrim’s Chronicles has been one of the greatest joys of my life.  I have to take a moment to make something perfectly clear, I don’t write the Chronicles, yes I sit at the computer, and type, but the words and thoughts, the teaching encouraging, and inspiring comes from Him through the Holy Spirit.  I pray and wait on Him to reveal what He wants to be shared!!!  I am not saying this to try and make myself seem like more than I am, I say to make Him to be all that He is!  I want people to know that when words reach deep into your hearts, that it is Jesus that is speaking to you, not me!  My job as His servant is for Him to become more, as I become less.  I don’t need for people to think highly of me, after all I’m a child of God!  That is glory enough for any man!

 

6.  The expectation of so much more to come!!!  You and I have so very much to look forward to.  The chance to share His love and welcome new members into His family.  Lots of laughter and fellowship as we enjoy all experiences He has given us to enjoy!  I’m so excited about how many people are enjoying the blog, the great new friends that are coming to workshops, the great time I’m having working for Nikon, and spending time with my photography buddies, I’m sure 2012 is going to be another great year!  In the next week or so, Jim Begley and I are going to a place where there are over a 1,000 old cars!!!  That may just be heaven……………

 

Thank you for joining me on the adventure, and again, Merry Christmas…….

 

the pilgrim

 

Did I mention how good my friends are, look at this killer image by Jim Begley!

 

 

 

I’ve often heard people say, your faith thing is o.k. for you but I can do it on my own, I don’t need a god.

 

 

 

 

 

I got an email this morning from a dear friend, Bob Phipps,  with the enclosed video, this has been one of my greatest Christmas gifts, please take a moment to read the information about  how this video came about and then enjoy the link below,  and Merry Christmas again…..  and thank you Bob for sharing this with me, and now all my friends!

 

“Where’s the line to see Jesus”?


About the Song


While at the mall a couple of years ago, my then four year old nephew, Spencer, saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked his mom, “where’s the line to see Jesus”?

My sister mentioned this to my dad, who immediately became inspired and jotted words down to a song in just a few minutes. After putting music to the words, and doing a quick recording at home, he received a great response from friends. He sent the song off to Nashville without much response, except for a Christian song writer who suggested adding a bridge at the end of the first chorus. My dad then asked if I wanted to record the song to see what we could do with it. I listened to the song, made a few changes to the words to make it flow better, and we headed to Shock City Studios.

It was at the studio where Chris, owner and producer, rewrote the 2nd verse and part of the chorus… with goose bumps and emotions high, we were all hopeful and felt like we had something special. The demo was recorded in just under 2 hours and sent off again to Nashville… still no response.

Then 2 weeks before Christmas last year, my cousins Greg and Robbie decided to do a video to see what we could accomplish on YouTube. The first day we had 3000 hits and it soared from there. We received e-mails, phone calls, Facebook messages from people all over asking for the music, CD’s, iTunes, anything… we had nothing. After a couple of meetings with Chris following the amazing response, we got serious. We headed back into the studio this past spring… this time with guitars, drums, bass, pianos, choirs… the real deal…. and here we are today.

Getting iTunes set up, a website put together, and loving that thousands upon thousands of Christians have come together… remembering the true meaning of Christmas. Out of the mouths of babes come profound truths that many adults can not understand. Hopefully Spencer’s observation will cause people all over to reflect on the love of Jesus, and that one day we will all stand in line to see Him. We are most thankful to our Heavenly Father to have this chance to share our music with you. Merry Christmas everyone. 

 

Cut and paste this link to Google and enjoy the video!  It will come up first on the list:    New Christmas Song – You Tube

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=OExXItDyWEY&vq=medium

 

 

the pilgrim